
Class _. 
Book_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



)AND( 




•'-Adventures 







ANDREW \\ CANOVA, 



PAI^ATKA, FI.ORinA. 



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■'■si Wi' *■ 



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W^^> W-^MMsM^jcSM^M&SM&ilMiM^ 



So.y<l,prn Sur. PuHiihine; Cn,, Polaft'n, TU 




LIFE 



ADVENTURES 



V^ JL X 



H 





BY 



ANDREW P. CANOVA, 



OF PALATKA, 



ASSISTED BY L. S. PERKINS, 



WITH 



AN INTRODUCTION BY HON. R. W. DAVIS. 






0'=" washihg 



I 



PALATKA, FLA.: 

THE SOLTHEKN St'N PUBLISHING HOUSE. 

1883. 






lOiiloicd accoi'dliig 1,0 Acl ol' ('ontfi't^KN, In llic yvxvt issr), by Anduicw I'. Canova 

ttiid I/. Handicrh J'KUK1N.m, In llii> ollicc ol' tli(> Lihfiiriim ol' Conftrcxn, 

lit WiiHlilMKlon, I). C. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Most of the HkctchcH contiiiiicd in tliLs collection were contributed 
by Mr. Anmkk.w P. Canova, the iiutiior, to llic Soutiiicun Sun, of I'ti- 
latka, and attracted very general an<l favorable attention. While 
never intended by Mr. Canova for other than weekly newspaper arti- 
cles, the Hviggestlon of their permant^nt preservation in some collected 
form was so often made him tliat lie (Inally consentcid to give them to 
the pul)llc- in this llttU; volunK-. It graphically dc'als witli a |)hase of 
life in Florida which will no where else be found. 

DeHry and Hurcia and Fernande/, and Spragne have written at dif- 
ferent tiIIU^s of different epochs, and in several different languages, d(!- 
scriptive sketches and snatches of our history, while Mr. Kairbaidts, 
in his excelh^nt book, has taken us along with entertaimneiit and in- 
struction from those early days which knew Juan I'once de heou and 
Menendez to the times of Worth and (laines and Clinch. 

Hut it is left to Mr. Oanova to pen-paint th(; scenes and iiicid<^nts 
of soldier-life and adventurer during tlu; Indian War and to describe 
those hardships which tht; soldier exp<!rienced in morass and tangled 
scrub, or those pleasures In; enjoyed in bivouac and camp. Hunting 
adventures, too — and Indian life — those; fascinating n^allties which 
cover themselves with a halo of romance. The life of tht; early "set- 
tler" when th(! bear and panthe^r roamed the wilds of a then sparcely 
inhabited State. These features are all tou(;h(rd with an unpretentious 
but smoothly-gliding pen, and make encliantim; reading for Moridians 
of to-day — to-day, when innnigration from North and Koutli and Kast 
and West has lllled or is rapidly lllling our waste; [)lac<!S — when the 
palatial steamboat plies tlie waters wliere once (piiellyglideid the canoe, 
and when the scream of the; locomotive is borne upon the balmy south- 
ern air where once the; warwhooj) of the red man resounded 
Very respectfully, 

KOBT. W. DAVIS. 
Palatka, Fla., Oct. 20, 1885. 



17 



CONTENTS. 



PART FIRST. 



CHAPTER I. 
How the Last Indian War Broke Out-My First Adventure ■ 

CHAPTER 1 1 . 
• Our FirstlCapture of Indians-An Ugly Customer 

CHAPTER III. 
A Disagreeable Jourae,, a,ul an Encampment Among the AlUgator, 23 

CHAPTER IV. 

- 27 
Another Journey, and A New Adventure - 

CHAPTER V. 

A Florida Delicacy-Novel Method of Securing Game - 

CHAPTER V I. 
A Man Tries Cbicl.en-H.w.. as an Artiele ot Food, Wlthont Sncces,- 
We Reach the Everglades 

CHAPTER VII. 
A Journey Across the Everglades, and a Promise of an Adventure 39 

CHAPTER VIII. 
we Emerge From the Everglades and Have a Very Pleasant Time 45 

CHAPTER I X . 

- 51 
Among the Ten Thousand Islands 

CHAPTER X. 
A seven Days' scout Through the Big cypress-Closing scenes - 55 



CONTENTS. 



PART SECOND. 



CHAPTER I. 
How Sponges are Gathered and Disposed of, at Key West - 65 

CHAPTER I I. 
Catching the Manatee, or Sea-Cow, on the St. Lucie River - 71 

CH AFTER III. 
Hunting Bee -Trees on the Upper St. Johns — A Story and a Tragedy 75 

CHAPTER IV. 
In Which a Company of Soldiers Get Very Short of Rations - 81 

CHAPTER V. 
Description of the Green-Corn Dance, and Other Seminole Customs 87 

CHAPTER V I. 
Ned Marr and Myself Try Our Foitunes on Indian River - 95 

CHAPTER VII. 
Introducing a Gentleman named "Alligator Ferguson" - - 101 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Some of the Curious and Interestiug Inhabitants of the Indian River 
Region - 107 

CHAPTER IX. 

A Few Words About Phelps, the King of Bear-Hunters - - 113 

CHAPTER X. z--^.. 

Giving My Readers My Impressions of the Florida Keys - 119 ) 

CHAPTER XI. 
A Short Description of the Tropical Fruits Which Find a Home in 

Florida -----.___ i27 

CHAPTER XII. 
In Which the Inevitable Finale is Given; South Florida is Vindicated, 
and the Pen is Laid Aside 133 



TO 

MY COMPANIOXS-IX-ARMS, 

AXD 

OTHERS WHO FOUGHT FOR THE PEACE AND PROTECTION OF FLORIDA, 

THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 

ANDREW P. CAXOVA. 



n 

l-H 

H 










^ 



OL'TH Florida, 



PART FIRST. 



Life and Adventures in South Florida. 



PAET I. 



REMINISCENCES OF A TRIP THROUGH THE EVERGLADES AND 
BIG CYPRESS, DURING THE LAST INDIAN WAR. 



CHAPTER I. 

HOW THE LAST INDIAN WAR BROKE OUT. — MY FIRST ADVEN- 
TURE. 

In the following pages I shall give, with all possible ac- 
curacy, m}' adventures during the last Indian war, and it shall 
be a description of personal experiences and observations, 
rather than a history of the war itself. In writing a strictly 
truthful account of the scenes through which I passed, as a 
private soldier, in the campaign of 1855-8, through the ex- 
treme southern portion of the State, 1 shall hope to give the 
reader a view of the subject from a new and original stand- 
point. In placing this series of sketches before the public, of 
course I must say something about the way the war started. 

Since the close of the first and greatest war with the 
Seminoles, there had been two outbreaks — one in 1S49, ^'^*^ 
the other in 1855. This last war is the one with which we 
now have to deal, and according to the most authentic ac- 



12 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



counts, the trouble began on the morning of December 24th, 
by the wounding of Lieutenant Hartsoff and his men, by Billy 
Bowlegs. 

Lieutenant Hartsoff was a civil engineer, who had been 
establishing some land-lines, near the border of the Big 
Cypress, in Fort Simon Drum Prairie. Hartsoff and his corps 
of assistants were encamped near a small body of water 
known as Bonnet Pond. Bowlegs had a garden in the Big 
Cypress, about two miles away. (This Indian was a noted 
chief among the Seminoles, and stood at the head of the 
whole tribe. He was a short, powerfully built man, but his 
physical endowments were insignificant in comparison with 
those of Saffaj-eehojee, his lieutenant and "right-bower." 
This Indian was a "show" in himself.) Among other pro- 
ducts of this garden were some magnificent banana plants, 
which were the delight and solace of the chief's heart. He 
had reared them with parental care, until they were fully fif- 
teen feet high, and he was jealous of his darlings. 

But some of Hartsoff 's men (like a good many of us) 
couldn't keep their hands off the beauties, and when Bowlegs 
came through the early mist, bathing his stalwart ankles in 
the dew, one morning, coming to his beloved garden, he was 
surprised and shocked to find the banana plants, once so tall 
and graceful, with leaves torn to shreds, and some of the 
stalks broken short off at the ground by some ruthless hand. 
Bowlegs knew at once where the blame lay. 

Going to Hartsoff 's camp, he accused the men of the 
outrage. Thev admitted it with the utmost coolness, but sig- 
nified no intention of making good the loss, nor of giving any 
cause for their actions, other than that they wanted to see 
how "Old Billy would cut up." When Billy saw that re- 
monstrance and complaint were useless, he went back and 
summoned his braves together. "Hyeefus! Eestahotka 
holiwaugus!" was the war-cry. Early next mornnig Lieu- 
tenant Hartsoff and his men were fired upon, and some of 
them were wounded. 

Hartsoff ran into the water, but began emptying his 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 1 3 

Colt's revolver at the Indians, who were soon dismayed by 
the strange weapon, which did not seem to require loading, 
but which seemed to them to be able to kill every one of them, 
while they were loading their rifles. It was the first revolver 
they had seen, and Bowlegs promised to cease firing if 
Hartsoff would come out and show his pistol. This ruse did 
not succeed, and the Indians retreated. 

Hartsoff was badly wounded, but rallied his strength and 
wrote an account of the affair, to be used in case of his death. 
Meanwhile one of the men (also wounded) set out for Fort 
Myers, sixty miles away, to convey the news of the outbreak. 
In as short a time as possible a company was dispatched to 
the scene of the fray, and when they got there they found 
Hartsoff still alive, but in a critical condition. He was carried 
to Fort Myers together with his comrades who had been 
wounded, and taken care of in the hospital there. 

War was then proclaimed against the Seminole Indians of 
Florida. Like a flash of electricity the news encircled and 
permeated the South, and Billy Bowlegs became the target of 
every pioneer's rifle. I enlisted in 1856, and did what I could 
for the honor and glory of my native State. But my life was 
rather a tame one for the first year of my service. The next 
year was more eventful. 

In the early part of July, 1857, a boat company, consist- 
ing of forty-five men, commanded by Capt. Jacob Mickler, 
were mustered into the volunteer service of the United States, 
at Fort Brooke, now called Tampa. Nine metallic boats had 
been provided, for transporting the soldiers down the Kissim- 
mee river, while hunting the Seminole Indians. I was mus- 
tered in with this company, and cast my lot with those who 
were preparing to enter that great, unknown wilderness — the 
Everglades. 

The boats were hauled on wagons to Fort Kissimmee, a 
distance of eighty-five miles. Nothing of importance oc- 
curred on this trip, beyond the killing of several deer and 
turkeys, which furnished us with an abundance of food. 
Striking the river at Fort Kissimmee, we encamped for the 



14 I, IKK, AND Al)\'KNrUUKS IN SOUTH KLOKIDA. 



nif^lit. vStranj:(e to say, we were not annoyed in the least by 
mosquitoes, althouf^h it was near mid-summer. Next morn- 
iiifj; we launched our boats on the waters of the Kissimmee, 
and .st(!ered away into the wild passes of the river, toward tlie 
jijreat ()k(!eehohee lake. 

llaviiifi; the current in our favor, we proceeded on our 
way without any dilliculty. I had heard of allif^ators — of 
rusty old monsters, ecpial to trees in size, and vicious as 
wolves — but 1 was not prc])ared for the sij^ht that met my 
gaze, as oin- boats passed down the Kissimmee. To say that 
they wer(! lyiii<^ on the batiks art thick as leav(!s in an autumn 
forest, would be scarcely an exajj^f^eration. As to their size, 
I hardly wish to attem))t to f^ive you a description. Tliey 
wer(; (piictly sle(!pini^ on the banks, as we went aloni^, and as 
the plasbiu<^ of our oars waked Ihem, they ])lun<^ed into the 
water ahead of us, almost capsiziu}^ our l)Oabs at limes. As 
the report of a gun at that time would have very likely bad the 
effect of alarming the sagacious redskins, our captain allowed 
no one to shoot at the alligators. 

After traveling some twenty-five miles, we landed at 
Fort iiassinger and struck camp for the night. We had been 
plentifully supplied with mos(iuito nets, but found that we 
could dispense with them at this place entirely. The width 
of the river here was about seventy yards, and so crooked 
that one might travel in a l)oat five or six miles, land, and 
walk half a mile, and come to the point he started from. The 
land at Fort liassinger was found to be rich hammock, cov- 
ered with a heavy growth of live oak and cabbage palm. 
Early in the morning we proceeded on our way and reached 
the lak(! about noon. 

The river, here, ran between two banks of almost im- 
penetrable saw-grass, through which it emptied into tlic 
Okeechobee lake. As we rode out on the bosotn of this in- 
land sea, the view reminded us of the ocean, for the waters 
stretched away, until they were lost in the horizon beyond. 
Myriads of white and blue herons and water-turkeys were 
flying to ami fro, or feeding among the rushes and lily pads. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FI.OHIDA. 1 5 



About two miles from the mouth of the river, we found 
a beautiful camping' spot. It was a hammock which extended 
to the water's edge, and was bordered by a nice, white, 
sandy beach. Under a canopy of overhanging oak and rub- 
ber-tree boughs, we pitched our tents, and enjoyed a sub- 
stantial dinner. Our men had caught some fine bass, and, 
with a dessert of papaws and rubber-tree fruit, we fared 
sumptuously. The fruit of the Ficus elasticus, or rubber- 
tree, is somewhat similar in size and flavor to an ordinary 
Marseilles fig. The papaw, we found growing on a small 
tree, about ten feet in height, the fruit adhering closely to the 
trunk. The pulp has a sweet, aromatic taste, reminding one 
of a muskmelon. 

Our headquarters were established here for the time 
being, and arrangements made for a week's encampment. 
All hands were hearty and eager for "business," now that 
we had entered the stronghold of the enemy. 

Next morning, bright and early. Captain Mickler selected 
thirty men. Leaving the others to guard the camps, and, 
taking six of the boats our little fleet steered toward an island 
a])out four miles distant. Here, we confidently expected to 
capture a lot of Indians. We could not make much head- 
way, on account of large masses of floating water-lettuce. 
Striking open water again, we proceeded about half a mile, 
and came to the mouth of a small creek, which was overhung 
with cypress branches, so low that it was with difliculty that 
we could pass under them. Here we found unmis- 
takable signs of Indian encampments; shells of freshly 
roasted water-terrapins (commonly called "cooters") 
were found, and many tracks were to be seen, showing 
that large numbers of the red savages had been in that 
locality a short time before. 

Proceeding a little farther, we discovered a large canoe, 
which, as we afterward learned, had been captured from a 
company of regulars who had been cruising on the lake. A 
trail led from this spot to an island in the saw-grass, about a 
mile distant. At this juncture our captain climbed a tree, for 



l6 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

the purpose of taking a view of the surroundings. As his 
eye fell on the island, he exclaimed: 

"Boys, there are Indians on that island, and no mistake, 
for the leaves of the oak trees over there look as though they 
had been blackened with smoke. We will swoop down on 
the rascals and 'gather them in.' " 

He hastened down the tree and picked out a squad of 
about seven men, and ordered them to guard the boats. The 
rest of us then followed the trail that led to the hiding-place 
of the Indians. The saw-grass was much higher than our 
heads, and the ground very boggy ; we had to step from one 
fern "tussock" to another in order to keep above water; and 
any one failing to gain a foothold, was precipitated up to his 
waist in the mud. 

When we had advanced to within a few hundred yards of 
our destination, Captain Mickler ordered a halt, and, in a low 
voice, issued commands to one of the party to take charge of 
a company of ten men and proceed to the north side of the 
island, and to remain there until orders were given for a final 
charge. The man to whom this maneuver was intrusted, 
was a daring and fearless Southerner, named James Cook, who 
had given unmistakable proofs of intrepidity and courage, 
during the short time he had been with us. In such a foe as 
this, the wily savage might find their most daring young war- 
riors baffled, both in strategy and combat. 

We stood there in the saw-grass, impatiently waiting for 
the final moment, while Cook and his men silently glided 
through the marsh toward the island. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 17 



CHAPTER 1 1 

OUR FIRST CAPTURE OF INDIANS AN UGLY CUSTOMER. 

Our captain, in order to allow Cook and his men to reach 
their destination and get in readiness for the charge, waited a 
few minutes, and then ordered an advance. When we were 
within fifty yards of the island, the sound of an axe was 
heard, and a moment afterv\ard, the keen crack of a rifle 
broke on our ears. 

Hastening fonvard, we found the doughty James Cook 
standing guard over a half-a-dozen squaws and "pickanin- 
nies." He had surprised and captured them, as they were 
preparing dinner. After hanging the venison pots over 
the fire, they had taken a rest, and were lounging on 
a rude scaffolding of poles and cabbage-palm leaves. 
Some of the squaws attempted to escape by hiding in 
the tall saw-grass, but a few shots from our rifles soon 
brought them to terms, and it was an easy matter to find 
and capture them. The womtn, although badly frightened, 
remained sullen and silent, but the "pickanninies" (children) 
set up a howl that would have done credit to a horde of young 
hyenas. The poor creatures had been fearfully cut and 
lacerated, by running through the tall saw-grass, and their 
faces were, as Jim Cook said, "a reg'lar sight." 

Tim Cook seemed to be anxious to give them an adequate 
idea of his wrath toward them, and held his rifle in alarmingly 
close proximity to their heads, while he shouted : 

"Jist budge a quarter of a inch, will you? Yah triflin,' 
des-peekable low-lived critters ! Open them 'are long yappin' 



l8 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA, 

jaws o' yourn jist one time, and I wisher may die if I don't 
knock ye deader' n Hec." 

And a sulphurous light gleamed in his eye that meant 
business. The squaws, disregarding his last injunction, began 
jabbering a mixture of English and Seminole ; one old squaw 
kept repeating : 

"White man holiwaugus, (no good); umcah,' loxi- 
dokschay — lie heap. Umcah ; eesta-hotka — white man no 
hurt hopeta (squaw) eesta-chatta." 

From this highly intelligent discourse, we inferred that 
the dusky ladies were trying to make negotiations for peace. 
The irate Jim would fain have made them feel the weight of 
his strong right arm, but as he was no coward, he restrained 
himself, and was content with the remark that, even if they 
were "pesky, low-down Seminole Injins," they were women, 
and he never could "strike a 'ummern." 

Hung over the fire were some brass kettles, in which they 
had been cooking dinner, when we surprised them. Near by 
were several baskets woven of wire-grass, full of huckleber- 
ries and other wild fruits. Hanging in one of the wig-wams, 
were two chiefs' costumes, richly embroidered with beads. 
Some breast-plates, hammered out of silver dollars, were also 
found. We made a dash for these, and I was fortunate 
enough to secure one of these costumes. This consisted of 
a sort of a waistcoat, a pair of leggings and moccasins, and a 
sash. Each article was covered with elaborate designs, 
worked in beads and silk, representing birds, fishes, etc., and 
must have cost much time and patience. 

We were again put on our guard by the sound of defian. 
yells, coming from the distance, and put ourselves in readiness 
to withstand an attack, as it was natural to suppose that the 
warriors, who had left this camp, were returning, and that 
they would be ready for battle when they came. They did 
not put in an appearance, however, during our stay^ 

This island was circular in shape, and contained about art 
acre. It was surrounded by a belt of timber, which com 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. I9 



pletely hid its occupants from the sight of enemies approach- 
ing from the outside. Within this circle, all the timber, with 
the exception of a few large live oaks and cabbage-palms, had 
been cleared away, and the ground was in a high state of cul- 
tivation. Fine corn, beans, and pumpkins were growing 
underneath the live oaks; the vines had climbed the trees, 
and the immense pumpkins hung from the limbs, presenting a 
sti-ange appearance. 

Among our prisoners was a boy about twelve years of 
age, named E-chepko, whose duty it had been to post himself 
in a tall hackberry tree, and give warning, in case of the ap- 
proach of an enemy. A feeling of complete security had 
caused him to neglect his duty on this eventful morning, and 
a surprise and capture was the result. 

After satisfying ourselves that the warriors were not 
coming, as we had expected, preparations were made to carry 
our prisoners to the boats. They were all easily managed, 
except one old squaw, who manifested a decided reluctance 
in accepting our escort. In the words of an old song : 

"She couldn't and she wouldn't, and she shouldn't come at all." 

James Cook, who took her in charge, then said, "Come 
on, old gal, and let's go to the boats." As she did not accept 
Jim's proffered arm, that worthy caught her by the shoulder, 
and attempted to push her forward. In vain. She set her 
foot firmly on the soil, and resisted all attempts to move her. 
As a final stroke, she laid herself tlat on the ground, and, 
rolling her savage red eye around, scowled defiantly at Jim. 
He flew into a rage at this, and, whipping out his bowie- 
knife, he drew it lightly across her throat ; then, with an oath 
that would have made an alligator turn pale, he gave her to 
understand what would be her portion if she didn't submit. 

"Don't kyarve the old critter," exclaimed a soldier, in a 
compassionate tone. "If ye kill 'er, we haint agwine to git 
that two hundred and fifty from the Guv'ment. No ; jist wait 
till the 'thorities gits hold of 'er ; let 'er jibe if ye kin, old 
boy, till we can git 'er into camp. We'll help ye tote 'er e£ 
we can't git 'er along nary nother way." 



20 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



She was "taken up tenderly, lifted with care," by four 
men, who had been detailed to that duty. Two seized her 
arms, and the other two laid hold of her feet; still, it was no 
easy task to carry the vicious old creature. She snapped like 
a turtle, and grunted like an angry sow. 

Just as we started back with our captives, we were 
startled by the report of a gun, in the direction of the men 
who had been left at the boats. When we arrived at that 
place, It was discovered that an accident had happened. One 
of the men was floundering around in the mud at a great rate 
and groaning loudly. It appeared that one of the men had 
handled his rifle carelessly, and the result of it was that he 
had wounded the man in front of him. The man, whose 
name was Turnipseed, received a severe flesh-wound, which 
caused him much pain, but there was no danger to be appre- 
hended. Beyond a slight halt in his gait, and an inability to 
rest otherwise than by lying on his side, he did not give much 
evidence of having been the first to fall on the flattle-field 
In a week he was as spry as any of us, but I believe he 
-selected somebody else to walk behind him. 

We placed our dusky prisoners in the boats, and steered 

es aoT^I' T "'''' ""' ""'''' """• ^^^^^ ^-* «- should 

escape, for each represented two hundred and fifty dollars 

We had fifteen of them, which amounted, in all, to about 
three thousand seven hundred dollars. 

They made no demonstrations on the journev • indeed 
some of the squaws became friendly and coLuniL'ti ^ and 
even sm.led, at intervals. The children, however kept ud a 
dolorous wail the entire distance. One of the girl^ abou 

::;;? " ^nr IV'--' -' '^-^"^"^^ -' sen -no/e-w:: 

brown ^; ^'^ "^ intelligent appearance, an olive- 

brown complexion, and long chestnut hair, that would hJe 
been the pride and glory of many an English girl. When "e 
rowed out into Okeechobee one of the s^uaw! poinL tol 

^t^tr^^T ''T '' ''' ^^'<e,\hich^he sat;;:: 

the ,rl s birth-place. Pmnewa (the girl) was hardly less 
w.ld and untutored, than the herons and egrets that, like he" 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 21 



claimed the islands and marshes for a home. She had never 
seen white men before, and she looked long and earnestly at 
the fair faces and flowing beards of our soldiers, as if she 
thouo-ht them very agreeable, if not handsome. And as I 
looked on her soft, rounded cheek — almost the tint of a ripe 

mango I could not wonder that the proud-souled son of 

Castile had deigned to call this wild bird of the marshes his 
daughter. 

Arriving at our camp, we assigned the prisoners to their 
tents, and set a watch over them. The old squaw who had 
caused us so much trouble had quieted down so far as to allow 
herself to be led from the boat without making any resistance. 

When dinner was served we all sat down together — white 
and red— and captor and captive, with appetites sharpened by 
the morning's exercise, partook heartily of pork and beans, 
hard-tack and coffee, garnished with side-dishes of cooter and 
soft-shell turtle, finished up with a dessert of papaws and rub- 
ber-tree fruit. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 23 



CHAPTER III. 

A DISAGREEABLE JOURNEY, AND AN ENCAMPMENT AMONG THE 

ALLIGATORS. 

We passed that afternoon fishing and hunting. One of 
the men, a half-breed named Andrew Wiggins, had quite a 
reputation among the soldiers as a hunter. He never failed to 
bring in a deer, when once he got out on the war-path. In 
hunting this game, he had a way of uttering a peculiar call, 
which would decoy the unsuspecting buck within easv range 
of his rifle. Other of the soldiers spent the time trading rings, 
ear-bobs and other trinkets with squaws, for beads and mocca- 
sins. The children had fully recovered from their fright, and 
were rolling and tumbling in the waters of the lake. 

From the squaws, we learned that the warriors belonging 
to their camp, were on a scouting expedition to Pease Creek, 
about a hundred miles distant, and that they would return 
within two moons. Next morning, Capt. Mickler ordered 
preparations for departure. The boats, which were none too 
commodious at first, were loaded to the gunwales. To add to 
our discomfiture, a heavy wind arose, when we were five 
miles out. The gi'eat "white-caps" appeared on the water, 
and I never saw larger waves on the ocean, than those were, 
on Lake Okeechobee. The boats rolled and pitched around 
in an alarming manner, and nearly every Indian was writhing 
in the bottom of the boats, suffering the agonies of sea-sick 
ness. At last, we were compelled to run into the saw-grass, 
to save ourselves. 

The wind did not lull until night. It was then too dark 
to travel, and there was no land in sight; so, we were obliged 



24 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

to spend the night in the boats as best we could. The child- 
ren set up a howl at intervals, and the squaws industriously 
spanked them into silence. I had always entertained the idea 
that the Seminoles were an uncleanly set of creatures, but 
when I saw the repeated dippings the children received at 
the hands of the squaws, I began to think differently. 
The pickaninnies were held over the side of the boats, and 
soused up to their eyes, at least a dozen times during the 
journey. The little Spartans took the treatment heroically, 
seeming rather to enjoy it. As the boats sped along, the 
I'ttle fellows were let into the water, and held by one 
nand. It might seem as though there was some danger in 
this proceeding, but perhaps Jim Cook arrived at a correct 
view of the case, when he averred that "the faces of them 
there Injin squaws is so tarnation ugly that they'd skeer away 
the sassiest 'gator that ever growed." About ten o'clock 
next morning we arrived at the mouth of Fish-eating Creek, 
and found such a mass of floating "lettuce" ahead of us, that 
we could not travel any farther, by the ordinary means. It 
was simply impossible, to propel the boats with oars ; so, 
we were compelled to fasten lines and tow them from the 
river bank. A man was left in each boat, for the purpose of 
steering clear of the shore. Our tow-path was covered 
with about six inches of gi^een, stagnant water. Millions 
of deer-flies swarmed around us, and their keen bites, which 
we could not hinder, on account of pulling on the tow- 
line, made us envy the fortunate quadrupeds, who are fur- 
nished with tails, to defend themselves from the murderous 
attacks of these insects. 

Suddenly a sound of curses, loud and deep, broke on 
my ears. Some of the men were stamping around like 
mad, and began tearing off their boots. Soon an intolerable 
itching commenced on my feet, and I learned the cause of 
the men's strange actions. We came to a halt, and in a 
few moments the whole company were bare-foooted, and 
scratching and pawing their feet as if for dear life. But 
the more we scratched and pawed, the more unbearable be- 
came the itching, until, at last, our feet felt as if they were 
on fire. We all recognized the importance of getting out of 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 25 



that water, and Jim Cook gave such heroic jumps that one 
might have supposed that he was trying to perform the trick 
of keeping both feet out of the water at once. 

To repeat all of his remarks on this occasion would 
be rather out of place here. His contortions were fearful to 
look upon, and his face was wreathed in a fiendish grm of 
rain-led pain and satisfaction, as he rubbed and scrubbed his 
prudent heels. ■ At last, he yelled: -Pards, I'll be ever- 
lastin'ly dad-blamed if these 'ere * * varmints ain't 
eatin' me bodaciously up ! Let's quit scratchin' and pole on ; 
sci-atchin' don't do no good— hit only makes'em wuss." 

Jim was right; the trouble was greatly increased by 
scratching. Putting on our boots, we were soon out of the 
water, when the itching ceased. The irritation must have 
been caused by some poisonous substance in the water, al- 
though Jim stoutlv contended that it was -varmints." and 
swore that he saw the little creatures swimming around in the 
water. 
Ji We arrived at Fort Center near sunset. Here, we found 

;' a company of regulars, who welcomed us heartily, and 
were much surprised at our success. The Indians seemed 
crrateful for an opportunity to stretch themselves out on the 
dry oTound once more, and we were soon seated around the 
camp-fire, chatting of our adventures and drinking strong, 
black coffee, such as only soldiers can make. 

Our captives were placed in comfortable quarters, and 
we spread our blankets near the stream, and lay down to 
sleep, with no other covering than the sky above us. It was 
midsummer, and the air was waim and sultry, but we were not 
troubled with mosquitoes. A million frogs were singing, 
groaning and croaking around us, but they could only 
lull us to sleep. We had worked hard all day at the 
oars, and were soon snoring like good fellows. 

While we were sleeping there by the side of the stream, 
we did not dream of the red enemy, in whose land we were 
encamping, nor did we imagine that the dark bodies of huge 



7 . IMn- the "soldier's dream 

alligators were gliding around v>s , ^^.^,^.„„ 

o£ home" brought us vrsrons of «'«; ^_" g^^ the slimy 

at our return from the V-'''°^" ^^'I'/Z, purpose, I can- 
monsters were creeping -■-";^. ;:'^^°;;,' ,, vhat strange be- 
not say ; perhaps they were '^^"^ «°^^ J^.^^ ,,,uing eompau- 
1,,. had corrre among them ^n,aybe,t^ the alligator possessed 
ionship, although I ne e. Kn probable truth of 

sueh an inclinatiou for human ''"ce j^ i 1 . ,^.^^ ^^ 

L matter is, that the huge ^^^^^^^'^ Jd that the 

„.eat -«' '--'^'^ fj:;;; 1 S minoL, and hasbeen Uno.n 
alligator IS very o„doyo^» ^^^.^ ,^^^,^^_,g_ „,. 

- watch around wtae ^^^^ ,,, ^^tle red cherubs, 

the purpose of s«^'"S ^,^^^^ ;, that the l.ttle 

One peculiar feature ot * ^j^'^l nobody 
Indians are never seen any more. 

'="" ''"• M have known anything about the 

Possibly, we never -»" ""^^^^^j j^J „,en had not 

..aly rascals being .n »- ^ P; ^^^./..^ep, threw his arm 

„ade the d.scove y. ^h- - ^ ^^. ^^ ,.„„g,„ cold 

outwar<l, and his hand alighted on = ^^^^_^^j^ 

and slimy that he j-^^.W tad L looked right into 

tTrwfof ririugr: whose coU, gray eye. glitteredin 

the moonlight. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLOUIDA. 27 



CHAPTER IV. 

ANOTHER VOYAGE, AND ANOTHER DISCOVERY. 

Figuratively, the soldier wns frozen stiff with horror for a 
moment, but when he recovered, he opened his mouth to its 
utmost capacity, and gave such a yell that every man in camp 
was awakened. We all jumped to our feet and clutched our 
guns, for we thought the red devils were upon us. Ed. 
Marr, the man whose shout of terror had awakened us, en- 
deavored to tell us what the trouble was, but some of the 
men were running wildly around exclaiming: 

"Where are they? Where are the Indians?" and it was 
some time before ev-erything was quiet again. The alligators, 
frightened by the noise, dropped into the stream and easily 
escaped. 

In the morning, the captain of the regulars furnished us 
with a wagon for the purpose of carrying our captives to Fort 
Myers, where the Indian agent was stationed. Fifteen men 
were detailed as a guard, and I was one of the number. We 
set out early, and camped near Fort Denaud that night. A 
heavy rain set in about the middle of the afternoon and con- 
tinued all night. We had no tents, and were obliged to lie 
down and endure the pelting storm. I lay down by a pine 
log, covered my face with my hat, and took a rather moist 
nap. About two o'clock in the morning I waked up, and 
could not move a limb, and it was several minutes before I 
could turn my head. As soon as I could get up, I collected a 
few light-wood knots and built a fire. We were anxious to 



28 LIFE A^V ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

;eI^ir7^i7M3^^^^^ our energies to the task of 

getting there that day. 

A. noon we camped near a scrub-hammock Andrew 
Wiffcins of course, had to take his gun and scour he woods ^ 
*!eCh of game. He crept softly as a tiger througl, the 
"esertosemafy and slanting spruce of the scrub, and kept 
his eaVle eye on the lookout for deer and turkey. He ghdcd i 
a ong on hb hands and knees, and then stopped and l.stened 
T Ivvnls Finallv he heard strange sounds commg from a 
: i'ck a few ifu^red yards distant. Springing to his fee. he 
ran to the spot, and as he came nearer the terr.fic growl of 
th^btckbea'r and the fierce scream of the panther broke on 
his ear He saw the bear standing on his haunches, and the 
pan he'r crouching near by ; in an instant the panther sprang 
at her enemy, and a stream of blood began tr,ckUng down the 
bear s tide. With an intermission of only a few moments the 
panther renewed the attack, and the bear reached out eageriy 
for his adversary, who was just a little too qu.ck for hnx At 
at tie panther made a false move, and the bear clasped h.m 
nh s hideous embrace. With one sweep of a paw he d.s- 
emboweled his foe, who lay gasping in the last throes of 
death The bear's victory was short-lived, however fo. 
wtgins laid him low with a bullet from his rifle W.ggms 
said Ihat the combatants had beaten down nearly half an acre 
of the scrub. 

The triumphant hunter skinned the bear, and dexterously 
severing a hind quarter, shouldered it and carried it into camp. 
We were pleased at the prospect of a "bait" of jerked bear, 
but our joy was nothing compared to that of the Indian 
sauaws who reared themselves up in the wagon and espied 
Wigcins with the precious freight, coming in the distance 
With nostrils extended, and teeth unsheathed, they scented 
the feast "from afar off." 

"Easta-hotka, get lokasee!" was their rapturous excla- 
mation. "Lokasee" is the Seminole word for bear, and 
among their pigeon-like chattering, the word was many times 
repeated. "Umcah, lokasee good, ojus ; cook 'em quick ; eat 
littlum raw." 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IE SOUTH FLORIDA. 29 

They wished us to understand that we need not wait to 
coolc it, as far as they were concerned ; that they were not so 
fastidious as the easta-hotka,'' or white man. We set some 
stakes over the fire and began broiling huge slices of meat, 
while some of the n^en were sent along with Wiggins for the 
purpose of carrying;back the remainder of the bear. After a 
glorious feast we continued our journey, and at noon the next 
day we reached Fort Myers. Here we found the agent and 
transferred the prisoners to him. The squaws had expected 
to meet the warriors at this place, and began wailing piteously 
when they found themselves disappointed. They bade us a 
tearful good-by, and shook hands with us in a very friendly 
manner. But they were inconsolable for the loss of their 
warriors. We tried to encourage and cheer them by telling 
them that the eesta-chattas would soon cheer them with their 
presence. When we left they were wandering to and fro, 
crying together like children. 

Before long we joined our comrades at the camp on Fish- 
Eating creek, and together we went on another Indian 
chase. 

This time we bent our course to the east side of Lake 
Okeechobee, and searched closely every hammock as we went 
along, for our "blood was up," and nothing but another 
wholesale capture of Indians would satisfy us. 

We made our boats fly through the water as fast" as oars 
and blankets (for sails) could make them go. Jim Cook 
commanded one of the boats, and every few minutes went 
ashore and examined the land for "Injin signs." Finally his 
keen eye fell upon tracks, in the sand of the beach. With a 
smothered chuckle of satisfaction, he signalled the good news 
to Captain Mickler, who immediately steered for the shore 
Our captain, after examining the tracks, ordered the men 
back to the boats, and to Jim's disappointment, the journey 
was resumed. After we had gone a mile or more, we en- 
countered something else which attracted our attention. I 
was lounging at the bow of the front boat, and, of course, was 
able to make discoveries before the others. Underneath a 



30 



UKE AND ADVENTUKK. IN SOUTH FLOHTOA. 



..ediately afte^ard I -;-;>- '^ , '„t ,„d we puUed 

tl-uce of peace, and wa» understood by all of us. 

When we landed, all o, us had ouv a^s ;--^>--,/- 
battle, and so,.e oiy'l^::^-^':^^^^^^^.. She 
,,„,w was --';^;"8;j:,tte,- half was, and perhaps 

r:r ::r h':: ".r i.. ^.h wi. ,.,. .nt had .^ 

""" nUfTa^L^r^r: .rrJlt, l. esp-.ed a 

mg in the d y ^rass ^^^^^ ^^ custard-apple 

Thef ^rl"! the nren to hi., the two crept 

silently upon the unsuspecting redskin. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 3 1 



CHAPTER V. 

A FLORIDA DELICACY NOVEL METHOD OF SECURING GAME. 

The Indian, who had been sleeping "the sleep of the 
just," and lay wrapped in dreams while his captors were 
stealing upon him, was rudely awakened by an unceremonious 
"laying on of hands." He turned his affrighted gaze toward 
the men, and, seeing there was no hope of escape, a diplo- 
matic grin overspread his features, and he rose to his feet, 
held out his hand, saving: "How do? How you do?" 

"Well, we're a-doin' first rate, and you'd better thank 
goodness that you're a doin' at all. What's your name, any- 
how, you dirty, half-made sneakin' whelp?" 

"My name Tommie ; me Seminole, good, too much. Me 
not hurt eesta-hotka — me good, ojus, too much, umcah." 

"Well, Tommie," said Captain Mickler, "where were 
you going?" 

"Goin' to coontee-sassahollober." 

••Where are all the other Indians." 

"All gone to coontee-sassahollober," he repeated, point- 
ing in the direction of the Big Cypress. He seemed will- 
ing to give us information about his people, and did not ex- 
hibit any of that surly, taciturn disjDOsition that was shown by 
the majority of the Indians. His w'fe, however, had quite a 
serious cast of countenance, and kept her little boy close by 



^a JAFV. AVn ADVENTURES IX SOUTH PLORIDA. 

! 

her side, occasionally speaking to him in a low voice, in j 

Seminole. When asked about the number of Indians in the i 

neighborhood, he replied by shaking his head and saying, j 

"Sookkus-chay," which is the Indian word for departing. | 

We noticed some pots hanging over the fire, and upon > 
examining one, we found that it contained "cabbage per- | 
meeter." The fragrant odor that arose thereform told us that I 
it was a luxury never to be forgotten when once tasted. The \ 
manner of procuring the "permeeter" is as follows: A ' 
thrifty young cabbage-palm tree is selected, and with an ax, the : 
leaf-stems are cut off. About the spot, on the trunk of the 
palm tree, where the leaf-stems begin to whither and die, is , 
where the chopping must be done. If it is cut lower than this, ; 
the bitter, woody part will be included, and if higher, the ' 
tender germinal bud will be lost, or sliced up in such a man- | 
ner as to be hardly fit for food. Having felled the trunk, the | 
sheathing leaf-stems are separated, and soon the snow-white 
"bud" is visible. This, in a thrifty specimen, is about eigh- j 
teen inches long, four inches in diameter, and cylindrical, I 
with a bulge at the base. It is so brittle that a large piece of ' 
it can be broken up easily, with the fingers ; is as smooth as ] 
glass, and whiter than ivory. When raw, the bud resembles 
a green chestnut in taste. But let it once be properly cooked ; 
stewed with ham or breakfast bacon, and served with cream j 
and butter, with a sprinkling of pepper — oysters, green corn I 
and pumpkin pie sink into insignificance. A lingering, I 
"soul-filling, hunger-killing" sensation is experienced, as the 
gastronomist takes his first bite. I am speaking in earnest, ; 
when I say that palmetto cabbage is the raciest, most tooth- 
some dish that ever came to my acquaintance since I was old | 
enough to know what it was. Even as I write, I long to toss ! 
my pen aside and rush into the wild hammocks, where the ' 
coveted delicacy grows in abundance. 1 

The other pot contained "comptie." I cannot well tell 
just what that is, for I don't think there is anything like it 
growing in the North. It is the root of a plant that is found in 
immense quantities in South Florida. The roots are macer- 
ated in a mortar, and a fine quality of flour is obtained, which 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 33 



contains a very large percentage of starch. When cooked it 
resembles arrowroot in taste and character. It is used very 
extensively as a breadstuff among the Indians, who call it 
"soff-kee," after it is cooked. 

We also noticed a number of large birds called "cor- 
morants" in that region, which had been placed so as to broil 
over the fire. Seeing that the Indian had no lock on his gun, 
and of course could not use it, Captain Mickler asked him 
how he got the birds. 

"Hannah," he answered, pointing at his wife, "go 
rookery ; take stick— knock 'em down." 

It was true. The woman, disregarding all accepted rules 
of sportsmanship, took a stout cypress limb, and, creeping 
under the trees where the birds had selected a roost, com- 
menced such a fierce onslaught on them that but few of the 
luckless creatures escaped. 

About this time, our captain ordered the men to chop the 
; Indian canoe to pieces. The owners looked on with rueful 
countenance, but said nothing. 

The myriads of custard-apple trees around "^ were 
, loaded with fruit, but none of it was ripe. Captain Mickler 
' picked one of them, and asked Tommie if it was fit to eat. 

"No good, holiwaugus. TomoUow, ripe; good, too 



much. 



He meant that next day it would ripen. The fruit is 
' about as large as a quince. A grove of custard-apple trees, 
'' full of fruit, will perfume the air for half a mile around. 

We manned our boats and left with our captives, steer- 
e inc. our course toward the south end of Lake Okeechobee, 
'e After traveling five miles, we reached that point and began 
'1 looking for an outlet into the Everglades, but without success 
- We were bounded by a high, almost impenetrable wall of 

saw-grass, through which the water from the lake oozed its 

way to the Everglades. 



We went on about three miles farther, and reached an 
Indian town. Here we saw several palmetto huts, and the 
place looked as if it had been deserted for many years. In 
answer to a question as to who lived there, Tommie said : 

"Miccosukie ; no good — thief, too much." 

Miccosukie was the name of a tribe who had lived apart 
from other tribes, plundering their neighbors and murdering 
women and children. Tommie told some fearful tales of their 
depredations. 

Next day we landed on Observation Island, and in my 
next chapter I will tell my readers what we saw there. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 35 



CHAPTER VI. 

A MAN TRIES CHICKEN-HAWK AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD, WITH- 
OUT SUCCESS WE REACH THE EVERGLADES. 

Observation Island is about three-fourths of a mile in 
length, and one-fourth of a mile wide. It has a hard, white 
sandy beach, and is known as a favorite resort for turtles. 

On landing at the island, a curious sight met our eyes. 
The ground was literally paved with turtles and cooters, some 
of which were industriously digging in the sand, forming a 
place in which to deposit their eggs. The fierce, gray-eyed 
soft-shell, the bright, yellow-striped cooter, and his odorifer- 
ous companion, the "alligator turtle," were dwelling together 
n unity, but there was consternation among them as we came 
ip ; which was plain, from their frantic scrambles toward the 
ater. 

We hurried ashore, and commenced a raid on the un- 
fortunate reptiles. I secured half-a-dozen without accident, 
and letired with my struggling, kicking captives to a shady 
Ispot, where I made them secure with a few stinps of tough 
ubark. One man, a long, lean Tar-heel, named Turnipseed, 
/was not so fortunate. While wrestling with a giant soft-shell 
turtle, the vicious chelonian grabbed him by the thumb and 
; eld on like "grim death." There is a superstition prev- 
alent among some people, to the effect that a turtle will not 
p-elax his hold "until it thunders." Perhaps Turnipseed 
mad began to have that opinion, for the soft-shell tightened his 
gi-ip, and, drawing in his head, plunged forward so suddenly 



36 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

that the Tar-heel was obhged to move his arm accordingly, to 
save his thumb. The turtle continued to plunge and rear, 
but there is a limit to human endurance. Notwithstanding 
his peculiar name, there was nothing small about Mr. 
Turnipseed. He didn't swear, and tear around, nor curse, 
nor wish that the vicious reptile was in the country, of which u 
they say the pepper is a native. No, he simply held up the | 
turtle by his thumb, and waiting until its neck was sufficiently 
extended, made a skillful swipe of his knife, and the body fell 
to the ground. The head, however, remained, and Mr. T.I 
had to practice some surgery before he finally got his thumb 
free. 

V7e considered we had plenty, when two dozen of the 
snapping turtles were thrown into the boats. On close in- 1 
spection, we failed to discover any signs of Indians, and ofj 
course our only alternative was to return to the mainland. I 

When we arrived at the camp, we found some little ex- 
citement among the soldiers. It appeared that one of the j 
men had shot a chicken-hawk, and insisted upon having it for j 
his dinner, despite the remonstrances of the men. Not long ij 
after he had finished his meal, he complained of intense paini | 
in the stomach. When we arrived, he was almost delirious, , 
and the physician of the camp was doing his best to alleviate 
the man's sufferings. \ 

Our captive, Tommie, seemed much concerned about the j 
man's condition, and repeatedly begged Dr. Oliver to let himj ,| 
try a cure. The doctor at last consented, and Tommie dis- 
patched his squaw, Hannah, to the woods for the purpose of 
gathering roots and herbs. He then took the man's hands inj 
his own, and repeated a strange jargon of unintelligible'* | 
sounds, and passed his hands over the man's face. Thp 
voodoo operations had no effect, and when Hannah returned : 
with an apron full of leaves, Tommie bruised them together ij 
in his hands, and then put them in the man's ears and mouth,, 
at the same time repeating the gibberish of a voodoo. All to 
no purpose. After a few struggles, the man lay still in death 
before us. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 37 



Tommie seemed greatly affected at the unfortunate ter- 
mination of his case, and tried to explain to us that the 
moon's phase was unfavorable to a cure. We buried our 
comrade under a rubber-tree, and inscribed the name in the 
bark, over his head, which, no doubt, can be seen until this 
day, perhaps partly effaced by the growth of the tree. 

Next morning, we set out on the journey to Fort Myers, 
and after two days of rowing on the Caloosahatchie, we ar- 
rived at our destination, and delivered Tommie, Hannah and 
the boy to the Indian agent. 

j After securing a receipt for the Indians, Captain Mickler 
j/vvas furnished with a guide, an old Spaniard, named Phil- 
"ippi, and an Indian squaw, called Polly, a former wife of 
"hi-ee, a famous Seminole chief. 

We again impelled our boats down the Caloosahatchie, 
fand arrived at Punta Rassa, where the river empties into the 
Gulf of Mexico. At that point we entered the salt water, 
^nd cruised along the coast, southward. Mullet and pompino 
^ere our chief diet, and the men, who had grown tired of 
[resh-water fish, feasted on these products of the "briny deep" 
(vith unlimited zest. 

Sanibel Island, off Punta Rassa, is famous for its wild 
liogs and deer. Before leaving for Shark river, some of the men 
.vent across to that island and began chasing the long-toothed 
Doars. Andrew Wiggins was one of the party, and proposed 
o show the others just how easy he could lay the vicious 
jame low. They "jumped" a herd of the swine, digging in 
\ small pond, in search of "wampee," an aquatic plant, 
jomething on the order of Arum, or Indian turnip. Andrew 
Wiggins unceremoniously interrupted their meal by firing 
kmong them, and he wounded one so badly that it set up a 
earful scream. One old boar became greatly enraged at this, 
ind with a blood-curdling "gosh-gosh," and rattling grunt, 
jrotted straight for Wiggnis, who turned and ran for a tree. 
|t was wise for him to do so, for the angry animal was right 
^t his heels, when he reached a small oak tree. With the 
agility of a squirrel he climbed the tree, and the boar, finding 



3S LIFE AXD ADVEXTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



o^k wf n'^T K ' ^"^^"^^""^ ^-^-t"^? at the foot of th 
oak Whether the boar would ultimately have overturned th, 
saplmg, I cannot say, but as soon as Wiggins could <.et . 
firm foothold he stopped the tunnelling operations n^th . 
bullet from his rifle. We killed several fine youn.. shoats 
and carried them to the boats. "^ 

of P»nta Rassa and after traveling two davs, we reached the 
mouth of the nver. Proceeding up this "stream eight mi^es 
we selected a camp, amid the mangrove trees. The ground 
was dry, although not more than three feet above the water 
Roammg around the forest that evening, I found a tree covi 
ered with grape-vines, on which hung the finest grapes I ever 
saw. rhey were larger than muscadines, covered with aJ 
deep purple bloom, and so juicy and rich that they were neaJ 
burstuig. Neither before, nor since, have I eve seen suclJ 
magniticent grapes. 

Next day we entere.l the Everglade. Mangrove £ore,st.' 
were beh,„d us; and before „s, as far as the e,e could .each J 
cou d be seen nothing but an ocean of saw-gra^s, dotted w th 

;" wiif °" '" '°"''"'"™ ■^"" '"^^"^ '^^^^ --1 ' 

Many people who ha^e heard of the Everglades all theij 
lues, have no tdea of what the country looks like. Some! 
"n.g.ne .t to be a beautiful forest, where tropical bW 
fly throt^h frutt-ladeu trees; others iu,agine tlJIt it is 
El Dorado, where one is almost sure to find gold or jewels 
I understand that one prominent writer, and citi:en of F orida f 

will vet'T '° "■'": '™'" "P"'™^'^' ---^ "-' «■' Evergiadei 
vv.ll yet become the greatest w-inter resort in Florida hS 

soil and healthy chmate, which must some day gain for it a! 
vorld-w,de reputation as a resort for invjlifs." I an 
scarcely conceive of a more shameless misrepresentation S 
my next chapter I will give a description of the Everglades"' 
which I am ready to substantiate in every particular 



i 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 39 



i CHAPTER VII. 

1 A JOURNEY ACROSS THE EVERGLADES, AND A PROMISE OF 
J AN ADVENTURE. 

'j Standing on the edge of the Everglades, we could look 

If each way, and discern the line of demarkation as plainly as 

ever was seen in a field or lake. The confines of the great 

morass ran in almost a straight line north and south, and 

melted away into the dim distance on each side of us. At 

our feet lay a warm, reeking mass of water and decaying 

\ vegetation, and around us stood myrtle and cocoa-plum trees, 

! laden with fruit. An intense silence prevaded the whole 

jScene. Far ahead of us we could see the white heron and the 

,,roseate spoonbill, expanding their wings in the warm sun- 

yjlight, bvit they uttered no sound. A. solitary flamingo spread 

jhis scarlet pinions on the air, and slowly wended his flight to 

^1the south, at last looking like a blazing red star, sinking into 

^the horizon of the saw-grass and myrtle. 

i(j The water was less than six inches deep, and we could 
jv6?.sily foresee that the journey would be a difficult one, for the 
eapats would have to be drawn over the fields of saw-grass by 
;icTiain strength. 

Captain Mickler ordered that two of the largest boats be 
■ sent back, as they were too large to be hauled along like the 
other boats. Accordingly, William Mickler, the captain's 
brother, assumed the task of taking them back, and we pre- 
pared for the journey across the Everglades. All of us 
entered the water with the exception of Polly, the Indian 
squaw, who sat in the prow of the foremost boat. Five men 
were assigned to each boat; one behind and two on each side, 



40 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



and vve had all we could do to push them along, although J, 

they contained nothing but rations, ammunition and guns, j 

Polly, who was to act as our guide, gave her du-ectjons to ^ 

Phillippi, who interpreted them to us in English. She had ^ 
crossed the Everglades eighteen years before, and yet she 
knew the way just as well as if she had made the tnp a hun- 
dred times. No mariner's compass could have guided us 

across this trackless waste with more precision than did thi^ ,^ 

hideous old hag. e \ 

Occasionally Captain Mickler would order a halt, and go ^j 
to an island, climb a cocoa-plum tree, and take a long look at , 
the surrounding country. As far as he could see there was J 
no variation of the monotonous scenery. On examining these \ 
islands we found that they were only a few inches above the ^ 
water, and the soil seemed to consist of rotten limestone, 
covered with a thin, hard crust, which broke through as we j 
walked upon it. Underneath was a whitish, calcareous, ill- ; 
smelling soil, mixed with shells. But the cocoa-plum trees ^ 
which grew in such numbers on every island, were a boon to 
us There are two varieties-the black and the white cocoa , 
-and the fruit is about the size of a green-gage plum. The | 
pulp is very sweet and good, and very refreshing. After the ..^ 
pulp has been eaten, the seed is cracked, and inside is found ^. 
a substance that resembles chocolate very closely, both in . 
taste and appearance. It is claimed that the seed possesses • 
many properties of Erythroxylon coca. One thing I am sure 
of is, that eating the seeds seemed to enable one to do a ^ 
greater amount of labor without fatigue, than was Possibig- ,| 

before. , *"* 

'f 
Occasionally we crossed the little rills trickling their way ^ 
sluggishly toward the south. These little streams were , 
hardly ever more than six feet across and contained a few 
species of swamp t^sh. The water was not more than a foot j 
deep and the current was scarcely discernable. i 

Strange to say, we saw no alUgators nor snakes on this . 
journey, nor the slightest trace of any reptile except an , 
occasional cooter. At sunset we were weary indeed. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 4 1 

although we had traversed a distance of only twelve miles. 
Behind us lay the long, winding path made by our boats, 
through the saw-grass. Our course was toward the Miami, 
on the Atlantic coast — about east-northeast. At night we 
went on to an island, where the ground was a little dry, and 
prepared for the night. The myrtle, which grows in such 
abundance on these islands, is verj'^ brittle, and we had no 
difficulty in preparing couches of the fragrant boughs. We 
built a tire of the dry, dead branches, and were soon com- 
fortably seated around a smoking supper, making ourselves 
just as merry as if we were at home, and not forced to roam 
through one of the most desolate deserts known to mortal 
man. 

When we retired to rest on our couches of sweet myrtle 
boughs, sleep came to us on swift wings. Not a mosquito 
nor sand-flv appeared to keep us awake, and apparently, we 
just pressed the couches, and then opened our eyes to the ris- 
ing sun. Never did I sleep more perfectly and refreshingly. 
I cannot say whether this was owing to the cocoa-plum seeds 
I had eaten, or not. 

It is my honest opinion that we never could have gone a 
mile into the Everglades, without the aid of the boats, for 
the soil was so soft and boggy, that as soon as we relaxed our 
hold on the boats we sank above our knees. Nobody knows 
how much deeper we would have sunk. All the hardships I had 
ever endured were nothing, compared to this. Very often we 
.eaned over in the boats, thoroughly exhausted, by our exer- 
tions. It was an almost superhuman task to shove the boats 
along, and when we were once out of sight of dry land, the 
prospect was indescribably dreary — a circle of saw-grass and 
little islands in every direction. I think I can safely say that 
no human being ever did, or can, accomplish the feat of 
crossing the Everglades on foot and unaided. 

On the second day's journey, we observed no change in 

the character of the surroundings. The islands ahead of us 

ooked as if they were high and dry, and gave impressions of 

m earthly paradise, with their soft verdure, colored fruits and 



43 LIFE AXD ADVENTURES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 

shady trees. But when we reached them, the hallucination 
faded, and the stern reality was before us. Noisome weeds, 
growing on a low, unhealthy soil and a few cocoa-plum and 
custard-apple trees, covered with white-flowered vines, were 
all that met our disenchanted vision. 

As well as I can remember, none of these islands con- 
tained more than an acre and a half of land, and eighteen 
inches was the greatest elevation above the water. 

The weary, toiling soldiers became discouraged at the 
dreary prospect around them and showed signs of dissatisfac- . 
tion. Like the soldiers who accompanied Columbus on his | 
voyage of discovery, they began to express doubts as to the 
reliability of the guide. They at last openly declared 
that Polly was misleading them, and expressed an 
unwillingness to let the alligators and herons wrestle 
with their bones, in that forsaken solitude. It must j 
be said, right here, to the lasting credit of Jim Cook, ' 
that he was prompt and effectual in quelling the incipient 
mutiny among the men. His iron will and straightforward 
and convincing dialect had the desired effect and equanimity 
was soon restored. 

At night we had made about the same distance that we 
traveled the first day — twelve miles. As before, an island 
was our resting-place. 

In the morning we resumed the journey, and it is hardly 
necessary to repeat that we were much discouraged at the non- 
appearance of land. I say "land," for, of course, we were as 
much "at sea," as if we were on the ocean. 

Captain Mickler climbed a tree, about twenty feet high, 
and looked eastward. Soon he gave an exclamation of de- 
light, and told us that we might give ourselves no uneasiness, 
as there was land in sight. He could discern plainly the line 
of timber skirting Biscayne Bay. This was about nine 
o'clock in the morning, and when night came, we were within 
eigrht miles of the Miami. 



I,IFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 43 

At last, we were going to get out of this uniiallowed 
place. We were footsore and weary, and as we had to slake 
our thirst with the loathsome lime-water that oozed through 
the grass at our feet, we were suffering from the effects of it. 
Some of the men declared that one hundred dollars in gold 
would not tempt them to make another trip through the Ever- 
glades. 

It was perhaps ten o'clock in the morning of the fourth 
day, when we saw something ahead of us, which caused us to 
halt and hurriedly "call a council of war." About two miles 
ahead we discerned what we supposed to be an army of 
Indians coming toward us. 

"Well, boys," said the captain, "we are pretty well 
worn out, but I guess we will manage to give them a warm 
reception." 

With silent, eager movements, the men put themselves in 
readiness for a tussle with the savages. 



LIFE AND AD\'EXTURES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 45 



CHAPTER Vni. 

WE EMERGE FItOM THE EVERGLADES, AND HAVE A VERY 
PLEASANT TIME. 

With renewed energy in our sinews, we laid hold of the 
boats and sent them rushing through the water. It surely 
looked as if we ought to be rewarded for our long, wearisome 
struggle, and some of the men thought that a liberal number 
of captives woidd idemnify thern for their trouble. 

Steadily we advanced, and as steadily did the seeming 
enemy approach us, until they were only half a mile distant, 
when, to our astonishment, we discovered that we were soon 
to be joined by a company of regulars, instead of the human 
game we had been expecting. The friendliest greetings 
passed between our company and that of Captain Doubleday, 
the commander of the regulars. In replying to questions, 
they answered evasively, saying that our guide would prob- 
ably be more reliable than theirs. It was evident that they 
had been lost, and wore not willing to confess it. So they 
fell in behind and started back with us. 

After traveling two miles we came to a spot where Polly 
commenced an excited discussion in Seminole, with Phillippi. 
That old worthy said that Polly pronounced the little rivulet at 
our feet to be the head of the Miama river. Polly piped out 
in her shrill, panther-like voice: 

"Sookus-hechek-opko ! lokasee ; ojus !" 



46 LIFE AXD ADVEXTrRES IX SOrTH FLORIDA. j 

We all understood the word ''lokasee," and permission f | 
was speedily obtained to follow a bear which was running ^ ' ■; 
across from one island to another. The chase was a short | 
one ; the bear took refuge on an island, and was soon sur- 1 
rounded and killed. As we went on, the rivulet broadened 
and deepened so that we could launch our boats. What a j 
relief it was ! We had been forced to shove them along 
through the mud and grass, but now we could use the oars, j 
and we were happy. The bear was safely lying in the bottom 
of the boat ; the Everglades were behind us, and a prospect of I 
rest before us. Some of the men, more sentimentally in- 
clined, lifted their voices and sang. We were gliding over 
the purest, clearest water; pines, hammocks, and other 
familiar objects greeted our vision, and palms dipped their 
fern-like leaves in the crystal stream. As we rowed on, the 
leafy woods on each side echoed the music : 

"Quickly our boats are now gliding along 
Gliding along, 

Gliding along ; 

Swiftly we're rowing in time with our song, 

Rowing in time with our song. 

"Forest and meadows are passing behind, 

Passing behind, 

Passing behind ; 
Odors so sweetly are borne on the wind, 

Odors are borne on the wind." 

In high glee we rowed into Fort Dallas, at the mouth of 
the !Miami river. Here we saw many nice frame houses 
among the cocoa palm trees. The ground was high and dry, 
and the sea breeze was most refreshing after our sojourn 
through the Everglades. No better place could have been 
found for a camp. We stayed here two days and recruited. 

The guava bushes were full of delicious fruit, and no 
one can say that we did not do them ample justice. Next to 
a peach, I think the guava is the most delightful fruit under 
the sun. No — I will not say that — for the guava stands 
without rival ; it is the queen of fruits. The man that says 
we didn't h ave plenty of cocoa-nuts, makes ? grand mistake. 
We ate the m, and drank the milk, until we didn't have a very 
good opinion of them. One man ate so many jelly-cocoa- 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 47 

nuts that he was seized with severe cramps in the stomach, 
and came near dying. Maj^be my readers would like to know 
what a "jelly-cocoa-nut" is. It is nothing more nor less than 
a very young, unripe nut ; at that stage the flesh has a jelly- 
like consistency, and the milk is indescribably delicious, but 
it is dangerous if eaten without moderation. 

When the two days had passed away we were in fine con- 
dition for another journey. The jelly-cocoa-nut man had 
recovered, and all went merry. It did not require much time 
to prepare ourselves for the trip. At sunrise we set out over 
the waters of Biseayne Bay, toward the south. The weather 
was delightful, and after bidding adieu to our friends, the 
regulars, the cocoa-nut groves were left behind. Fine ham- 
mock skirted the beach ; rubber, hackberry, saffron-plum 
mastic, pigeon-plum and "gumbolimbo" were among the 
tropical trees we saw. The fruit of a mastic tree is about the 
size f)f a plum, yellow, and has a soft, juicy pulp, with a cin- 
namon-like odor. It is delicious eating, but the effects are 
unpleasant. When too many have been eaten, the mouth 
becomes as sore as if the person were salivated. The saffron- 
plum, pigeon-plum and hackberry all bear edible fruit. 

The first object of interest we came to was Gen. Harney's 
Punchbowl. It was about ten o'clock in the morning when 
we arrived at the place and landed. The bank was about 
twelve feet high, rocky and steep. About halfway up the de- 
clivity was a spring of cold, clear water, issuing from a deep, 
bowl-like depression in the rock. We drank the cooling 
water, and ascended to the hammock, which lay beyond. 
(This spring was named after Gen. Harney, the famous 
Indian fighter.) In the hammock we came upon a lime grove 
that eclipsed anything I ever saw. The ground was literally 
paved with the fragrant, golden globes. We gathered several 
bushels and carried them to the boats. After another deep 
draught at Gen. Harney's Punch-bowl, we resumed the 
journey. 

That night we camped at the south end of Biseayne Bay, 
and next day we passed through Upper and Lower Cards 



4^> I-ll-K AND APVKX rUKKS IX SOUTH FLOKIOA. 

Sound, into Barnes' Sound, and through Chi-ec's Cut-off, into 
Saillor's bay. Chi-ec's Cut-off is where the waters of Barnes' 
Sounii connect with Sadler bay. The water was twenty-five 
feet deep, ami clear as it well could be. Down near the bot- 
tom we could sec cnoruunis rcil snappers and groupers dart- 
ing aioiuul, and they evidently had plenty to eat, for they 
paid no attcution to bait. At sunset we were within fiv^ 
miles of Cape Sable, at a place nanicd Saw-fish Hole. That 
night we diseovercil that there were mosquitoes in Florida, 
after all. Hut we had plenty ot nets. 

In the morning, after breaking fast on mullet, pompano 
and grouper, we shouldered guns and attacked the deer. 
Foremost among the hunters was Andrew Wiggins. With au 
imerring hand, he caused many a deer to bite the sand that 
ilay. One hunter swore that a deer came up within a few 
yards of him, and nc\ cr tlinched, as he took aim and fired. I 
cannot vouch for tlie truth of the statement, but it seeiNcd to 
me as if the deer were remarkably tame. 

But '"graining"' the tarpons w:ii» the finest sport of all. 
The tarpon, when full grown, is about five feet in length, and 
clothcil in bright, silvery scales, about the size of a silver 
dollar. They have a habit of rising to the surface and strik- 
ing the water with the tail, with such force that the blow can 
be heard for tive or six hundred vards. "Graining the tarpon" 
is ,H sport very popular around Key West, and consists in 
throwing a long gig, or barbed rod, into the fish, from a boat. 
To the rod is fastened a long, stout line, and to that a stop- 
pered jug is attached. The tarpon, when caught, is far too 
powerful to be controlled by hand ; so he is allowed to plunge 
around at will, but the jug follows him wherever he goes, and 
betrays his presence. The jugs, flying across the water with 
such rapidity that a cloud of spray envelopes them : the ex- 
cited men, bending all their strength to the oars, and the 
overtaking and capture of the jug, and the final landing of 
the shining fish, forms as animating a scene as one could well 
imagine. The flesh of the tarpon, while hardlv so fine as that 
of the red snapper, is really good eating. 



LIFE AND ADV'KXTURES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 49 



After graining^ half a dozen of the silvery monsters, we 
cleaned them, and proceeded to "jerk" them. As everybody 
knows that this means drying the meat in the sun or over a 
fire, I will not dwell on the particulars. 

Next day we visited Cape Sable, the extreme southern 
point of the mainland of Florida. There are three points 
which compose the cape proper; East Point, Palm Point and 
North Cape. On Palm Point were two prodigiously tall royal- 
palm trees, (fully 125 feet high) which were visible as a land- 
mark, for many miles around. The Government authorities 
ordained that any one who cut these trees down, was to be 
fined at least five hundred dollars. Since that time, however, 
a storm of unwonted violence has uprooted them. 

My readers have patiently followed me among the red 
savages, have traversed deep swamps, and finally waded 
through the Everglades with me, until we are lodged safely 
at Cape vSable. And now, my dear readers, we are preparing 
to set out on a seven days' scout through the Big Cypress, and 
WQ are likely to pass through some strange scenes before we 
rest again. 



I.IFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 51 



CHAPTER IX. 

AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS. 

No one who enters the border of Florida and steps into 
the kingdom of the orange, where everything wears such a 
soft, imsered hue of sempiternal spring, would imagine that 
the southern extremity of the State presented such a desolate, 
gloomy appearance. The pine-covered hills and orange- 
scented hammocks are metamorphosed into low, oozy points, 
and slimy mangrove swamps. The very cranes and herons, 
poised on one leg, look as mournful as the sprawling frogs 
about to become their prey. The croak of the water-turkey 
is worse than a funeral dirge, and the far-reaching note of the 
curlew and flamingo makes one wish to be at home. 

As we left Cape Sable the prospect grew brighter. The 
sampson-grass gave way to hammocks bordered with man" 
grove forests. At night we reached Pavilion Key, and se- 
lected it as a camping spot for the night. I had heard of the 
great clam beds at this key, and was anxious to make the 
trip. 

What a beautiful spot it was ! The setting sun w^as 
laving its heated face in the cool Gulf far to the westward ; 
the last ruddy rays gilded the top of the lofty mangrove trees, 
and already a deep twilight lay in the shadowy places. The 
water was clear and we could see millions of clams beneath 
us. As we approached the key, some of the soldiers jumped 
overboard (it was only knee deep) and threw hundreds of the 
succulent bivalves into the boat. We built a fire and soon 



52 LIKE AND ADVENTURES IN SOITTH FLORIDA. 

had a mammoth chowder ready, together with some cooter 
steak. Poll3''s eyes scintillated with suppressed joy, but 
when she tasted the delicious mixture, her bosom heaved, her 
lips parted, and lifting her withered hands toward heaven, 
she ejaculated : 

"Good— too much'" 

We ''fell to" with the gusto of savages and had a 
glorious feast. Stories were told, jokes passed, and former 
gi'iefs forgotten amid the joys of the present. But amid the 
hearty laughs that echoed through the twilight, there was one 
who maintained a deep, thoughtful silence, as if he thought 
the time too precious, while sitting around the chowder-pot, to 
waste in useless merriment. But after the feast was over, he 
crawled to a mangrove tree and leaned against it ; throwing 
out his feet, and clasping his hands over his shaggy head, he 
gave vent to one of those laughs for which he was famous. 
First his mouth opened, then there was a commotion all over, 
and a gurgling sound arose, seemingly, from his boots, and 
finally the bubbling, undulating mixture of sounck poured 
forth, astonishing and amusing all who heard it. Tndy, 
Andrew Wiggins was a great laugher. 

But I must proceed on the journey, or we will be 
late. From Pavilion Key we went through 8and Fly Pass 
into Chocaliska Bay, where we encountered the Ten 
Thousand Islands. I had long wished to see and determine 
just what these islands were, and observed them with great 
interest. Our boats wound in and out among them, and 
once I landed with some others to examine an island. It was 
larger than some of the rest, being about ten acres in extent. 
Around the edges stood a circle of mangrove trees, and inside 
of that the land was high, dry, shell hammock, and very 
rich, covered with a heavy growth of mastic, gumbolimbo 
and other West India trees. You have often heard me speak 
about mangrove trees, and maybe you would like to know 
what thej^ look like. The mangrove don't content itself with 
rising straight out of the ground like any other tree, but props 
its trunk away up in the air on several small trunks, which 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



S3 



were originally roots. Some of these trees look like a lot of 
large tent-poles leaning together, and a big tree growing 
on top. It often reaches a height of seventy feet or more ; 
the wood is extremely heav^y, and is used extensively for 
piers in making wharves, as it lasts a long time in water. 
The trees bear a long, dry seed, which drop down when ripe 
and stick upright in the mud, and in a short time a new man- 
grove is putting forth its leaves. 

The islands were, on an average, not more than two or 
three hundred yards apart, and the smallest one I saw was 
only fifty feet across, with a few stunted mangrove and mas- 
tic trees growing on it. Sometimes, where the islands were 
close together, the tall, shady trees loomed up in leafy walls 
on each side of us, and formed an over-arching canopy of 
green, through which the echoes of the men's voices, and the 
sounds of the oars rang and reverberated. This was the home 
of the sand fly. High overhead we heard the shrill hum of 
untold millions of these little insects, which increased as we 
went on. 

In this arboreal wilderness, the semi-twilight hue of the 
scene seems to make the little creatures' advances more bold. 
The whirr of their wings — so fine and shrill, that "nothing 
seemed to lie 'twixt it and silence," — was constantly in our 
ears, and the infinitesimal white spots which marked their 
presence on the hands and face were the cause of considerable 
pain and annoyance. They are not like a mosquito ; they are 
too small for you to aim a blow at them, and they are biting 
you for dear life before you know it. 

The water was three feet in depth, and very clear, so 
that we could see the oyster beds below, with great distinct- 
ness. Many of these beds contained oysters of fine size, so 
that we supplied ourselves liberally with the delicious things. 
Seated in the boats, we pryed open the shells, and rapidly 
provided accommodations for the oysters contained within. 

After a while we emerged from among the islands, and 
came to the mouth of the Chocaliska river, and journeyed up 
the stream for five miles, to the point where it receives the 



54 LIFE AND AD\'ENTURES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 

waters of the Faquahatchie. Here we found a company of 
soldiers who had just finished burying their commander — 
Capt, Parkhill — who had been killed by Indians the day 
before, in the Roj^al Palm Hammock. There was the most 
intense excitement among the men, and their speech and 
actions boded no good for the Indians they were preparing to 
hunt next day. They had carried his body nine miles in order 
to find a safe resting-place for their chief. 

Capt. Mickler ordered us to return, and when we again 
entered the Chocaliska bay, our course was directed north- 
ward, en route for Marco Inlet, near Cape Romano. After 
a journey of twenty miles, we reached the inlet, and next 
morning we were joined by the company before mentioned. 
We were, in all, about one hundred strong, and were provided 
with guns, ammunition and provisions. Col. St. George 
Rogers took command, and, at an early hour, we set forth, 
ostensibly for the purpose of quelling a rebellion, but many 
of the men were ready to nsk life and liberty for the purpose 
of avenging the dastardly murder of their chief, Capt. 
Parkhill. 

My next chapter will tell of how we made a trip through 
the weird and gloomy Big Cypress, and that will conclude 
the first part of the book. 



LIKE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 55 



CHAPTER X. 

A SEVEN days' SCOUT THROUGH THE BIG CYPRESS CLOSING 

SCENES. 

The Everglades and Big Cypress are great problems, in 
themselves, which can only be solved by time and ingenuity. 
It would seem as if the climate — the counterpart of which is 
found nowhere else on the globe — were not to be enjoyed by 
the settler, here. But those who have had the temerity to venture 
into these vast solitudes, have often returned with the con- 
sciousness of having had a very pleasant time, and the 
botanist and naturalist was never heard to complain of the 
scarcity of the flora and fauna of those "dim, mysterious re- 
gions." As I have said in a former chapter, I consider it a 
misrepresentation, for any one to call the Everglades a "winter 
resort." The Everglades are simply immense stretches of 
long, low, level prairie, covered for the most part with water 
and saw-grass, and dotted with little islands. This region of 
country is some eight or ten feet above the sea, and I do not 
think the highest elevation can exceed fifteen feet. The great 
drainage scheme inaugurated by Disston is a fine idea, and 
the solution of the problem he has undertaken is an object of 
unlimited discussion, and I think that a successful termina- 
tion of the project would be of untold benefit to Florida and 
the whole South. But I think somebody ought to turn his at- 
tention to the Big Cypress. There are islands in there that, 
for fertility, are equal to the delta of the Nile. 

You are put to a great deal of trouble in gaining access 



56 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

to these islands, but a visit will repay a long journey. Some 
of these beautiful bodies of land are elevated many feet above 
the water, and the soil is something wonderful. The Indians 
raised some verv fine rice on these bodies of hammock, and 
that region may be termed, with propriety, the home of the 
banana, for frost seldom, if ever, enters the dominion of the 
Big C3'press. Pinc-apples would run riot. But little game 
is found, except around the borders. 

One man, in walking over this soil, (so says an old 
tradition) was so deeply impressed with its fertile appear- 
ance, that he took a tenpenn^' nail from his pocket and planted 
it near a tree, which he marked for future reference. When 
six months had gone by, he returned to the spot, and dug for 
the nail. To his surprise, he found that it had grown 
into a crowbar, four feet long! A wonderful result, certainly, 
but as I didn't see the nail planted, nor the crowbar harvested, 
I can't vouch for the truth of the story. 

It is difficult to imagine the impressive solemnity of this 
mighty forest, unless one takes a trip through it. Strange, 
unwholesome legends are rife among the Seminole Indians 
(who are less inclined to superstition than many other tribes) 
concerning the death-dealing character of certain things to be 
found in the Big Cypress, and it is a brave warrior indeed 
who undertakes to enter the dread "coontee-sassa-hollober" 
after nightfall. 

But the resolute band of soldiers were preparing to prove 
themselves greater objects of dread to the eesta-chatta than 
any goblin that might have its lair in the coontee-sassa- 
hollober. 

At an early hour we brought our boats into Marco river, 
and steered for the Big Cypress. Our course was to the 
southeast, and after we entered Palm Hammock creek, we 
followed that stream for nine or ten miles, and came to its 
head. A grassj' prairie half a mile wide lay ahead, and after 
crossing that we entered the Little Royal Palm Hammock 
and struck camp. The land was nice and dry, and the air 
seemed somewhat purer. Did you ever see the famous royal 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. C7 



palm, or Oreodoxia regiar\ If you have not, a description 
might interest you. At this pilace the trees were nearly a hun- 
dred and twenty feet high, ancJ stood fifteen or twenty feet 
apart. The trunks are white, as .nmooth as poHshed marble 
and as straight as an arrow. Near i^he top the trunk is bright 
green, and jointed hke sugar cane, surmounted by an im- 
mense crown of leaves, the stems of whicJi are sometimes fif- 
teen feet long. No animal not provided witi-, vvings can climb 
these lofty palms. The royal palm is one of the finest trees 
in all the vegetable kingdom, and surely Florida ^^n boast of 
nothing more uniquely grand or singularly beautif,jj_ 

Our course next day lay to the eastward, and 1-,^ jj^_ 
mense swamp lay before us and around us. The c},^j.ggg 
trees were never more than twenty inches in diameter, ^^^ 
were covered with poisonous vines, whose velvety leaves \^' 
avoided as we would shun fire. Especially is a person in 
dangerwhen freely perspiring; then the pores of the body are 
oi)en, and the skin is peculiarly susceptible to poisoning from 
contact with the vines. The arboreal Rhus toxicodendron, or 
"(.levil's shoe-string," and the dreaded Rhus vernix, or 
"th underwood," were pointed out to us as being worse than 
the terrible upas tree. 

One of the men, a Spaniard, named Johnnie Ortagus, (a 
native of St. Augustine,) was the most expert climber I ever 
saw. And he seemed invulnerable to the poisonous vines, 
for he could handle them without being injured. He could 
take one of the vines in his hands and scale the tallest tree in 
a few minutes. His climbing powers were scarcely inferior to 
those of a squirrel. Col. St. George Rogers directed him to 
climb the tallest trees and inspect the surroundings. In this 
way we could gain some idea of the course that lay before us. 
Ortagus, in reply to questions from Col. Rogers, would de- 
scribe the country ahead, and we would direct our course ac- 
cordingly. (Mr. Ortagus is now a hale, vigorous old gentle- 
man, and keeps a restaurant in Jacksonville.) 

The water through which we traveled was never more 
than six inches deep, and was strongly impregnated with 



58 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOIOTH FLORIDA. 



lime, but we were forced to drink, 'it. Sometimes we came to 
high ridges of land, covered v.ith stunted pines and various 
species of palmetto. These, curious plants grew in the ut- 
most profusion and luxuri-ance ; the saw-palmetto, the trunk 
of wh^ch is usually' in the form of a long, creeping rhizome, 
reared high in the air, almost like trees. Here we found the 
needle-palm, with it«i myriads of long, sharp spines; the cab- 
bage palm, and bhae-stem. 

After leaving these ridges (which were, as a rule, not 
more than tjalf a mile across) we would generally descend 
into a low, lime prairie, which stretched north and south as 
far as the eye could reach. In the afternoon we reached the 
Big R Jyal Palm Hammock. Following the trail through the 
tlow, ^^'et swamp, we suddenly encountered a high slope, which 
jjjerl us into the Big Hammock. O, what a relief, and an in- 
}3,jpiration it was, after the dreary march through the cypress! 
The lofty palms towered toward heaven, lifting their 
spreading summits far above the big live oaks and gumbolim- 
bos. There was a large clearing here, and some of the oaks 
were covered with pumpkin and bean vines ; man}" of these 
trees were loaded with green and ripe pumpkins, which gave 
rise to the fancy that they were the fruit of the tree itself. 
Banana plants, fifteen feet or more in height, and immense 
corn, were among the products of this fertile region. "Without 
stopping to destroy what the Indians had planted, we pro- 
ceeded onward in search of the planters themselves. 

We then came to a deserted village, on an island three 
miles from Big Hammock. This was Saf-faj-eehojee's Town, 
and from the appearance of the log huts, with their fallen-in 
palmetto roofs, we judged that the town had been deserted 
for a couple of years. We saw no fresh signs, and went on, 
and before long came to another village, graced with the name 
of Emathle-ochee's Town. Farther on was Fin-halloway's 
metropolis, where a few logs lying in a square, told us that 
there was once an attempt at building a city, at this place. 
Here we saw plenty of fresh Indian signs, and followed the 
trail with greater activity than ever. 

The march was a drearv and monotonous one. Seven 



LIFE AND ADVEXTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 59 

I _ . 

long days we marched, and no glimpse of an Indian rewarded 
our anxious gaze. Captain Dick Turner was our guide. He 
had never been through there before, but his services as a 
guide were well rendered. So well did he pilot us through 
this trackless wilderness that, in a march of seventy-five miles, 
we missed our destination by only two miles. (When I re- 
visited Chocaliska Bay in 1880, in company with Prof. A. H. 
Curtiss, I was pleased to see Captain Turner pleasantly lo- 
cated on the Bay, surrounded by rich fields of sugar cane, 
orange groves and banana gardens. Truly the "Captain" is 
well fixed, but not a whit better than he deserves.) 

Finally we came to the Ock-kollowah-cootchee. Long 
and frightful as this name may seem, it was no worse than the 
thing itself. It was a field of dense saw-grass, about four 
miles wide. The grass was two feet higher than our heads, 
and was so dense that we could not see a foot ahead of us. 
One man was selected to break the road, so that the others 
could pass. No man could endure this task more than five 
minutes, and first one and then another ''took turns" at pushing 
in front ; the side and shoulders were used in this laborious 
and painful work. To add to our misery, the sun shone with 
terrible force upon us, and not a breath of fresh air could reach 
vis. Worse than all, the water was poison, and our feet soon 
felt the effects of it. The men, who were grumbling before, 
lifted up their voices and gave vent to some hair-lifting ex- 
pressions. The volunteers from Middle Florida, who had 
never experienced the like befo_e, were almost furious. But 
in time we emerged from the dreadful Ock-kollowah-cootchee, 
and reached Fort Simon Drum. 

There we were joined by other soldiers, and made our 
way to Fort Myers. At that place we boarded the steamer 
for Fort Brooke. We were there mustered out of the service, 
and bade each other good by. 

My readers have indeed been patient in following me thus 
far. My narrative has been necessarily a prosaic one, for I 
started out with the determination of telling nothing but the 
unvarnished truth. Many of the old settlers can bear witness 
to the truth of my descriptions, and would not be slow to de- 



6o LIKE AND ADNENTL'UES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 

\i 

tect any iiiisstatcniont T niiiiht inako. I am loth to part with r 
the comrades who aceoinpanieil me thioiu^li many hardships 
and vicissitndes. My journeys throui»h the far South have 
been varied and full of incident, and in the second part of my 
little book. I have endeavored to give a new phase of Florida 
life, which will. I hope, leave an agreeable impression ou the 
reader, who has been so patient to follow nio thus far. 

As to the subsequent life of my companlous-iu-arms. I can 
say but little. Captain Jaeob Miekler was killeil shortly after 
the war, by being- thrown from his buggy near Lake City. 
Andrew Wiggins disappeared from existence, as it were, 
without leaving a trace of himself. Ed. Marr died in 1864, 
on Indian river: and .Hm Cook, the dauntless warrior and huie 
hearted gentleman — rough-hewn though he was — departed 
from a useful life, near Tampa, a few years ago. honored ami 
admired by all who knew him. 



[end of IWRT l] 



TO THE PIONEERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. 61 



To the Pioneers of South Florida. 



\Vc have found, with iirWle and i)lea«ure, 

'I'lial dui' own fair Stale Is knttwn 
To the world as tlie hiijfhtesl treasure 

Of the Henii-tro))ic, z(>ne, 
For the East and the West awaken 

To the j<l<'ry of tlie South, 
And tlie wondi'ous story l8 taken 

'J'lirouxh the Nortli, from nirtuth to mouth 
Of a huid, <if which tliey were dreaming, 

As though il were not eartii. 
But whieh, today, is heaniing 

In the liKlil of its real woilli. 
Where tlie winds of evening, sigliing 

Tlirough llie leaves of llie eabljage-palin, 
E'er whisi)er of peace undying, 

And a life of blissful <;alm ; 
A land where Time ne'er bringeth 

The snow, nor the dead leaves' fall. 
And the angel of summer wingeth 

Her flight through the forest hall. 
Where the sons of the colder I'egions 

JIave found a home and I'etreat — 
And they con)e in happy legions, 

Away from the snow and sleet. 
But the land of endless summer. 

Where the orange and lemon grow, 
JIad little to offer tlie comer. 

In the days of long ago. 



Then, the warriors. In their glory, 

Through the virgin forest roamed. 
And 'neath the live oaks, old and hoary, 

The\' ijassed, with locks uncombed. 
And an eye that mocked at capture. 

And scorned a prisoner's chain — 
Will they thrill, with a hunter's rapture. 

In the olden haunts again? 
Ah, no ; for civilization 

Has banished each swarthy face. 
And now, the Seminole nation. 

Is a half-forgotten race. 



TO THK riONEEl^S O? SOITU FLDHinA. 

^ ^J 

The grnava and lime are growiiitr, 

Where once they slaughtered the (ieor, 
And enjrine-whistles are blowinjr, ) 

Where tlie war-whoop smote the ear. 
The orange its frnit iirodiices, 

AVherethe Indian wigwam stood, 
And offers us golden juices, 

Instead of an enemy's blood. 
The Sabbath bells are ringing 

O'er hammock and tangled brake. 
And Ave hear the children singing. 

By the shore of the woodland lake. 
Then we ask : Who fought for the honor 

Of our own South Floi'ida — 
And who are they, that have won her, 

Theglorv slie wears to-dav? 



We hail them: Hughey and Ilolden, 

Yates, Barber and Summerlin — 
Their harvest is rich and golden, 

And bountifully gathered in — 
Hendry, Patrick and J.anier, 

Hancock, and Speer, and Bass — 
Each dauntless pioneer 

Began in the wire-grass; 
And, wresting the land from the gopher. 

They planted the trees that gleam 
With the treasui'es of ancient Ophir, 

And Pactolus' magic stream. 
Through the long, dark years of waiting. 

With their noble wives by their side. 
And with courage never abating, 

They watched for the turn of the tide; 
And now, in their life's declining. 

Their evening sun is shed 
On fruit -fdled branches twining 

Like laurels above their head. 
Let us wind them a wreath of honor, 

F^'om tlie yellow jessamine — 
Yea, drink to their health and honor, 

In shaddock and orange wine ! 

— SlGM.K. 



OUTH KORIDA, 



PAKT seco:n^d. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. (5 5 



Scenes in South Florida. 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL, INCIDENT AND ADVENTURE AMONG 
THE LAKES AND HAMMOCKS OF SEMI-TROPICAL FLORIDA. 



CHAPTER I. 

HOW SPONGES ARE GATHERED AND DISPOSED OF AT KEY WEST. 

There is no town in the world that is anything like the 
counterpart of Key West. Lying, as it does, at the very 
threshold of the tropics, it combines, in a rare degree, the snap 
and vim of the Northern clime, with the laxative breath from 
gardens smothered in the flowers and trees of the equatorial 
regions. On one side is seen the symmetrical crown of the 
Australian fir, and close by a stately cocoa-palm rears its 
head. The dark-eyed Cuban jostles the Georgia "nigger" in 
the busy market places, and the tall, lank, hawk-nosed '"land- 
stalker" is a Yankee, and no mistake, but, like the rest of his 
peculiar race, has a faculty of making himself at home, under 
all circumstances, and on all occasions ; which you can easily 
infer, from the coolness with which he button-holes every 
ancient (or modern) Cracker who comes to town with a 
"kyart-load" of garden truck. The sea-breezes are just as 
pleasant as anybody ever said they were, and I count the 
town among the nicest places I have seen in the State. 

I have seen Key West described as a paradise for lazy 
men. This is a misrepresentation, and if the writer of that 
article had ever been there, he would have thought and 



66 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

written differently — especial'y if lie liad ever happened to be 
without money. , 

Sponge-gathering and cigar-making are the chief indus- 
tries of the place, and the former occupation is resorted to by 
those who cannot endure the strong, narcotic fumes of th 
cigar factories. 

I lived in Key West fully six years before the idea oc 
curred to me to try my fortune among the spongers. Vesse 
after vessel came in with their precious freight, attracting' 
hordes of anxious buyers, and the fishermen generally brought 
in no less than one thousand pounds, which sold readily for a ' 
dollar a pound. Finally I decided that the "briny deep" 
should yield up to me some of its treasures, and secured a' 
berth on one of the spongers that plied around the Keys. Be- 
sides mj^self, there were about twenty-five men, who were 
going to try their fortunes in the business. The manner of 
fitting out an expedition is as follows : 

A vessel is engaged from some owner, who agrees to take 
half the amount of sponges gathered for the hire of his boat. 
A stock of provisions is laid in, and each sponge-gatherer is. 
provided with a long pole and hook. The voyages are never 
more than eight weeks in length, and in that time, if the 
"catch" has been successful, there ought to be eight hundred 
"bunches" on board. A bunch weighs about two pounds and 
is worth at present about four dollars, although at the time I 
was engaged in the business, the sponger could get only a dol- 
lar a pound. 

Our crew set sail, and after a four days' voyage, we came 
to the Anclote Keys, then a noted sponging ground. When 
we reached the grounds, the small boats were launched, and 
other preparations made for the business. We had four of 
these small boats, and each boat was sent out with a man who 
was armed with a twenty-five foot pole, with two prongs at the 
end. I rowed my little vessel some distance from the ship and 
began looking for sponges. 

The water was very clear and about twelve feet deep. 
The bottom was covered with myriads of curious and beauti- 



SCENES IN vSOUTH FLORIDA. 67 

/^ 

vr gi'ovvths, such as the Fenestrella, or sea-fan ; the sea- 
ff^ther, and tall, tree-like plants, which I could not classify- 
vVlaite rocks covered the bottom, and on these I could see 
b\iusands of young sponges growing. They were a glossy 
olpck, and most of them too small to be gathered. But as I 
w^nt on I could see larger specimens, and finally I reached 
downward and drew up a fine one. There are many varieties 
of sponges, the sheeps-wool variety being the most valuable of 
all. Next in order come the yellow sponge, the "glove," the 
'^grass," "boat" and "loggerhead." The last named variety 
i^ absolutely worthless, and is never gathered. The sheeps- 
iVool is distinguished from other kinds, by a multitude of 
small protuberances, and by its shining black color. 

Thrusting the pole downward through the water, I in- 
serted the prongs under the largest of the sponges, and it took 
but little exertion to detach them from the rock to which they 
were growing. When brought to the surface, the sponge ap- 
pears to be a soft, limp mass of jelly. A tough, black mem- 
brane envelopes it all over, and this is not removed until the 
next day. The sponge, after lying out of the water, dies 
within a fev/ hours, and the animal tissue dissolves, forming a 
dark, ill-smelling fluid, which the natives call "gurry." 

We had selected a spot where the water was only five feet 
deep, and had driven a circular row of mangrove stakes, 
forming a pen, which we termed a "kraal." Several of these 
kraals had been made, and to one of them I carried my load of 
sponges on the day after they had been gathered. Some of the 
others had also brought loads in, and after letting them soak 
awhile, we began beating them with sticks and punching 
them about in the water, inside the kraals. In an hour or so, 
the black, outside scurf, or membrane was gone, also all traces 
of the animal tissue were washed away, leaving nothing but 
the skeleton sponge. Then we took needles and thread and 
made them into bunches, so they could be handled easily. 
Afterward they were taken to the ship. 

Deep-water sponging is a much more laborious operation. 
Two men set out in a boat, and seek a suitable spot where the 
water is not more than thirty feet deep. One of these men 



^ 



(58 8CENES IX SOUTH TLOUIDA. 

sciills the boat gotuly alotii:;;. while the other take? a y;la!! * 
oonstructetl for the purpose, and leaning over the side of t- J 
boat, examines the bottom closely. As soon as a large spoiu 
is iliscovered, they stop, and the long, slender pole is J 
ilown into the water, with a sweep of the arm. which is a 
quired only through a long and tiresome experience. Son 
of the largest of all sponges are fonnd in deep water, ano 
there has been so much gathering done in the shallow places 
that one is forced to seek deeper water or give up the 
business. 

When the "-catch" was completed, we returned to Key 
West and sold our sponges. They were separated into lots, 
and a large number of buvers inspected each lot and made 
bids. Whenever a buver has made his bid. the auctioneer 
proceeds to call out the amount bid for each lot. and thus 
each cargo or parcel of sponges is consigned to the highest 
bidder. I have seen as much as fourteen thoustind dollars' 
worth of sponges sold in a few hours, at Key West. The 
price at that time was about one dollar a pound, but owing to 
the increased ilemand. and perhaps decreasing supply, the 
price is doubled. I have been reliablv informed that sub- 
stantial steps have been taken toward preserving them from 
extinction, bj' planting them, ami "cultivating" them, as it 
were. I cannot tell the reader just how that is done, but no 
doubt it is practiced successfully. If they have done that 
much, 1 shall not be at til surprised to learn that they have 
since built large factories in Key West, where sponges are 
manufactured, by the wholesale, from saw-palmetto and wool. 

Nearly all the sponges around the coast of Florida were 
destroyed some eight or teii years ago bj* some myterious, un- 
accountable calamity. The first sign of the hidden scourge 
was the appearance of dead lish on the surface of the water, 
and soon the shores were lined with their dead bodies, and 
the air became almost pestilential. The oldest and most ex- 
perienced fishermen were at a loss to account for it. Finally 
somebody noticed that there were green streaks in the water, 
two or three hundred feet wide, and many miles long, occur- 
ring at intervals around the coast, from the mouth of the 



SCENKS IN SOUTH FLORIDA. (Jit 



^i 



ithlacoochee river to Biscayne Bay. The poisonous strips 
^f water were found as far as thirty miles out at sea, and 
j^-jarly cverytliing was killed in their wake. Even the sponj^es 
".^jre destroyed, and fish l)ecame very scarce in the markets 
^j^ong the coast. Many houses in Key West are provided with 
^yUpoias, which are used for lookin;.^ out for wrecks on the 
jeef. From these cupolas we could see immense quantities of 
fjlead fish of all sizes, from the larj^est sharks down, floating 
..m the water. On the shore wer^ myriads of the strangest 
dooking fish I ever saw, and there were some species, of which 
jno one had ever before heard or seen, and which must have 
,come from very deep water. Even the dreaded moray, (a 
long, slender, serpent-like fish, which lives in holes in the 
rocks, where the water is a few fathoms deep, and whose 
bite is very painful and dangerous) and thousands of sponges, 
of all varieties, besides, many curious species of crus- 
taceans lined the shores in heaps, and the task of burying 
them was no light matter. Porpoises seemed to be the only 
kind of creature that could withstand the mysterious poison. 

Fishing-smacks, on their way to Cuba with a cargo of 
live fish on b(^ard, sometimes encountered these streaks of 
dark green water. As soon as the smacks entered the pois- 
oned water, the fish, which were kept in "wells" in the bottom 
of the boats, commenced floundering and dashing around, and 
in a few moments turned on their backs and died. In this 
way many of the poor fishermen lost the fruits of their hard 
labor and were forced to put about and return to their fishing 
grounds. The strange plague lasted a month or two, when 
the green streaks disappeared, but it was a good while before 
fish became plentiful again. 

Many theories were advanced concerning this curious oc- 
currence, but I have never regarded any of them as entircl}' 
satisfactory. Some people thought it was a poisonous liquid 
that flowed from the Withlacoochee, and, mingling with the 
Gulf vStream, encircled the peninsula. I don't believe a word 
of that, for there is nothing in any Florida river to produce 
such a result. Others, with more cogenc}'^, insisted that there 
had been some eruption on the bottom of the ocean, whereby an 



70 yCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

immense quantiU- of acid or gas was liberated, causing deal 
and destruction to almost everj-thing with which it came i 
contact. I don't suppose the i-eal cause of the mvsteric 
plague will ever be found out, but the fact of its having 
stroyed millions of dollars worth of fish, is well known amo> 
those who were livins:, around the coast at that time. 



i 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 71 



CHAPTER II. 

CATCHING THE MANATEE, OK SEA-COU', OX THE ST. LUCIE DE- 
SCRIPTION OF THE CURIOUS CREATURE. 

The St. Lucie river is one of tlie shortest iu the State, if 
not in America, being only ten miles in leugtli. It is, how- 
ever, scarceh' a separate, clearly-defined river, and some con- 
tend that it is merely a part of Indian river. A small stream 
is formed from the water that oozes from the Halpattee-oka 
Flats, and broadens and deepens until it is navigable for 
small boats, and when it reaches St. Lucie ba}' it is of quite a 
respectable size. 

There is something peculiar about this stream. Along 
its banks, plants are found which are sought for in vain else- 
where ; and the Indians regard it with mysterious awe, so that 
it might be with propriety called the Ganges of the Semi- 
noles. But the characteristic which gives it such importance 
in the eye of the hunter is that here the rare manatee is to be 
found. These animals were once quite abundant, in many 
parts of the extreme South, but I think I can, with propriety, 
assert that the St. Lucie river is the only place where the 
manatee can be looked for with any degree of certainty. The 
high prices paid for these rare animals, induce many people 
in this region to hunt them, and it was my good fortune once 
to be present at the capture of a large one. 

Perhaps it would be better to give a description of the 



72 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

manatee before we proceed to tell how they are caught. IteJ' :h 
a difficult task, for we have here to deal with a creature wh(i n 
like is not to be found anywhere. A more awkward, hel^,j- 
less, and curious creature than the manatee, when landed, 1,1 
never saw. The head is broad, and the eyes are completelW 
hidden by heavy folds of skin, and the mouth is shaped verw 
much like that of a cow, in every way but the teeth. These - 
are so long and shaip that one might at first be led to believe/.^ 
that they belonged to a carnivorous animal. The sea-cow/, 
nevertheless, is a strict vegetarian, and eats nothing but^- , 
aquatic plants. It has been asserted that its onl}^ food is the -. 
manatee-grass, which grows in imm.ense quantities, in the St.l 
Lucie river. This grass has large, broad blades, and is founct 
in eight or ten feet of water, growing on the bottom and ex- 
tending to the surface. 

A full grown manatee should weigh about twelve hun- 
dred pounds, although one monster was captured, many years 
ago, which weighed fifteen hundred. Such a one would be 
twelve feet in length, and have a girth of four feet. They are 
provided with flippers about ten inches in length, and the body 
dmiinishes into a large fan-like tail, similar to a porpoise. 
The skin is black, and sparsely covered with short, black hair. 
They move with considerable rapidity through the water, and 
although a most clumsy-looking animal when on land, they 
understand very well how to conduct themselves in their na- 
tive element. They possess, perhaps, the most acute hearing 
of all animals. So delicate and perfect is this sense, in the 
manatee, that the sound of an oar, no matter how carefully 
handled, will alarm them at a distance of half a mile. It is a 
common habit, in Key West, in speaking of a man whose 
hearing is acute, to say that he hears like a manatee. This is 
a wise dispensation of Providence, for the manatee is lacking in 
almost every ordinary means of self-defense. When caught, 
they never attempt to bite, and cannot in any way resent the 
indignities offered by their captors. 

I tasted manatee flesh once, and shall never forg ^t- 

The fattest, juciest Tennessee beef is by no means equa! ^o it, 
and I very much doubt if there is any anything in the ; '^"I'nal 



SCENES IN SOUTH ELORIDA. 73 



liigdom, that is so entirely delicious. One of them was 
raiuled on the beach near St. Lucie Bay, and some hunters 
found and killed it, and that was the time I found an oppor- 
tunity to test the flavor of the Hesh. 

In the year 1S5S, I met a man named Kelly, who, with 
two or three others, had started out on a manatee hunt. They 
had a large marlin net, and a wooden tank, for the purpose of 
keeping the animal, should one be caught. 

The spot selected was a cove, formed by a bend of the 
river, where the water was twelve feet deep. The net, which 
was three hundred feet long, was extended between stakes, 
set firmly in the bottom, and the hunters retired to their huts 
n the adjacent hammock, and patiently awaited results. Two 
or three times a day we went down and inspected the net, but 
nothing was to be seen, except an occasional alligator, who 
beat a hasty retreat through the large meshes, as soon as he 
perceived the danger he was in. A small row-boat was used, 
in going to and from the net, which was about a quarter of a 
mile from the shore. 

After two weeks of waiting, we were at last rewarded by 
seeing the floats bobbing about in a lively fashion, one morn- 
ing when we visited the nets. Excitedly, but with sure move- 
ments, the men took a bundle of inch rope, and set out for the 
captured prize, who was creating cjuite a commotion in the 
water, and tangling himself up beautifully, in the relentless 
meshes of the marlin. I did not go out in the boat and con- 
sequently did not get the first sight of the monster, but they 
soon tugged him into shallow water. A combination of ropes 
and pulleys was arranged, and he was dragged ashore, and 
with his twelve hundred pounds, he was by no means easily 
managed. He was then placed in the tank, which was six by 
ten feet, and kept until a sloop arrived, which carried the 
precious freight to Key West. This was a male, and about a 
week afterward we caught a female. This was the only pair 
I know of ever having been captured, and they should have 
brought quite a handsome price. But as it was, they were 
fairly given awa3\ As well as I can remember, they brought 
only seventy-five dollars. P. T. Barnum paid one thousand 



74 8CEJJES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



dollars in gold, some years ago, for a manatee not as large ' "^ 
some I have seen, and their extreme scarcity would now cau? " 
them to be valued at perhaps three times as much. t'^ 

i^ 
The manatee was kept a week before the sloop arrivec^., 
and I formed quite an intimate acquaintance with the strangj'^.f 
creature. For the first day or two he was shy, but I con^ i- 
menced scratching him on the head, and when he saw thf 'it 
my mtentions were good, our acquaintance ripened intvo 
something like friendship. I stroked and scratched his bi^;, 
ugly head, and he opened his mouth and devoured bananaf-'J, 
cabbage leaves and delicate bits of vegetables which I offeree 1 
him. Every time I came to the tank, the huge beast woul^d 
open his mouth for some little tidbit, and present his head for 
a scratching. During the week the water in the tank was. 
changed twice— once with fresh, and once with salt water :, 
one is as good as the other for the manatee. I had become 
quite interested in my pet before the week had passed by, 
and rather regretted the advent of the sloop, which carried 
him away. 

In days long gone by, the Seminoles living in Whitewa- 
ter Bay, near Cape Sable, killed the manatee, jerked the flesh 
and sold it to the Spaniards at a good price, and ten j^ears 
ago the meat could be bought at fifty cents a pound. Of 
course, the animals are becoming far too scarce to admit of its 
being sold at all. There is no doubt that the manatee is fast 
becoming an extinct animal. Like the dodo bird, which 
flourished in the East in the middle ages, but is now extinct, 
the sea-cow will pass out of existence, and will be looked 
upon, a few centuries hence, as a monstrosity, and the only 
remaining trace of its former existence will be a few old 
bones, and an antiquated volume, containing a description 
of it. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 75 



CHAPTER III. 

HUNTING BEE-TREES OX THE UPPER ST. JOHNS RIVER A 

STORY AND A TRAGEDY. 

Life in Florida has its sweets, and, like the grandmother, 
its bitters also. Among the sweets of an existence in the 
State, may be reckoned the finding ot bee-trees and conse- 
quent discovery of a fine lot of pure, rich, wild honey. That 
is, provided the little insects do not take a notion to avenge 
the desecration of their castle and destruction of their treas- 
ure. And I have often known them to "get in their work" 
on their human robbers in such a forcible manner as to render 
the job anything but sweet. 

Of course the incident I am about to relate was not the 
first of the kind I had experienced, for I had been familiar 
with bee-hunting since early boyhood. But I do not remem- 
ber to have ever had such success as we had that time. The 
way it happened was thus : 

I was living on Indian river, near the mouth of the St. 
Sebastian, and one fine, sunny day in early spring, two of 
my neighbors came to me and proposed that we go on a hunt 
for bee-trees. The idea was favorable to me, for I had long 
been wishing for a taste of honey, and we made preparations 
for starting next day. Each took a gun and plenty of ammu- 
nition, together with provisions for a week. 

Bees and honey were not the only objects we were going 
to look for. Obeying an instinct which is very strong in 
many people to expect something better ahead, we thought 



76 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



we could find land in that region we were going to visit, 
which would eclipse anything we had yet seen. Our destina- 
tion was a certain region on the west side of the 8t. Johns 
river, near Lake Winder, about fifty miles away. We 
reached the place on the second day, and were disappointed 
to find that the land was low and fiat, and in eveiy respect in- 
ferior to that which we had left behind. But we applied our- 
selves next day to the hunt for bee-trees, and were not disap- 
pointed. In the morning we pressed our wa}^ through the 
briars and bushes of two or three bay-heads, and entered a 
low palmetto flat. It was not long before we heard a hum in 
the air, and one of my comrades, named Patrick, directed a 
sharp glance upward, and saw a few bees issuing from a hole 
in a large pine about thirty feet from the ground. Im- 
mediately afterward we found another tree v/hich bore un- 
mistakable evidence of being the home of a large quantity of 
bees. 

We marked the trees with our axes, scalping off the bark 
and leaving a broad, white mark which could be seen a long 
distance through the forest. Continuing through the woods, 
we kept our eyes and ears strained to detect the little workers. 
In going three-fourths of a mile we found no less than eight 
trees, and they all gave promise of a large yield of honey. 
But we postponed cuttingthe trees until we had made a more 
thorough inspection of the surrounding country. 

That afternoon we shouldered our guns and went on a 
hunt for deer and bear. The St. Johns at this place was 
about one hundred feet across, and was navigable for small 
steamers, although none had ever penetrated that region at 
that time. We reached Lake Winder late in the afternoon. 
Near this lake we found a clump of fine cabbage-palms, and 
heard a strange, ripping sound, as we drew near. Looking 
up in one of the trees we were astonished to see a large bear 
sitting on top, trying to pull out the tender bud of the palm. 
He had flattened out the crown of leaves so as to form quite a 
good lodgment for himself, and was untiring in his efforts to 
extract the sweet, tender bud. He had not yet observed us, 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 77 



and was too much absorbed, perhaps, in the anticipation ot 
the delicious feast he was going to enjoy, to notice his sur- 
roundings. Finally the bud broke loose and the bear swung 
backward with all his weight, but the bud came out too easy. 
He had not calculated the sudden relaxation, and the result 
was that he lost his balance and came crashing to the ground. 
He hastily gathered himself up, and at the same moment his 
eyes fell on us. With a startled grunt he scrambled away 
into the bushes, and I must confess, that by the time our fire- 
arms were in readiness, he was thrashing his way through the 
thicket, safely out of our reach. Pursuit was worse than use- 
less, and it was growing late, so we returned to our camp. 

In spite of the low, flat character of the land, it had its 
charms. The saw-palmetto and loblolly bay were in bloom 
and their heavy sweetness burdened the night air, while the 
ground was carpeted with the spicy, aromatic pennyroyal, 
which gave forth its aroma as we walked through it. As 
Patrick remarked, the conditions were in every way favorable 
for bees, and he confidently predicted that the yield of honey 
from our trees would be a Urge one. 

As early next morning as we could make preparations we 
commenced on the bees. Two of us took a good, keen ax 
apiece and proceeded. Our first tree was two feet in diame- 
ter, and "sound as a dollar." But our axes were sharp, and 
the thought' of a solid yard of well-filled honey-comb braced 
our muscles, and the bees had hardly begun to get uneasy 
before their dwelling-place trembled in its foundations, and 
soon smote the earth. They were somewhat stunned by the 
fall, and I took advantage of the opportunity^ by running for- 
ward and stopping the hole with a bunch of moss. 

About a foot from the hole we cut out a large chip, and 
proceeded cautiously to open up the hidden treasure. Mean- 
while, one of the men took a short stick, wrapped a bunch of 
rags around it and set it on fire. This produced a large vol- 
ume of strong, suffocating smoke, and was intended to dis- 
courage the angry insects from pouring out of the holes and 
attacking: us. 



SCENES TN SOITH FLOKIDA-. 



vSoou the honey was reached, and with verv little trouble. 
Patrick reached into the hollow and drew out a huge piece of 
comb, covered with dead and crippled bees, and although 
thousands were crawling over his hands, none showed auv dis- 
position to sting. Whenever thc}- tried to swarm out of their 
prison, an application of the burning rag would repress them 
instantly. From this tree we secured at least twenty-five 
pounds of the best honey that ever was gathered from flowers. 
We then retired to a shady spot, each with a large piece of 
comb, and after selecting a few large saw-palmetto leaves, we 
wove a net of them, and deposited our treasure thereon. The 
bees soon filled the air around the fallen tree, and would have 
perhaps made it lively for any one who had the temerity to ap- 
proach them. 

Seated on a log underneath a large cabbage-palm, we 
had before us a feast that would have tempted a dyspeptic 
anchorite. Be it known tliat three mortals on that day. ate so 
much honey that they avowed the bees could have all the 
i-est. for all they cared. But after the fierce thirst, occasioned 
by such a diet, was quenched, the work of destruction was re- 
newed. 

With his hat on the ground under his feet, and his head 
thrown back against the palm-tree, Patrick was nibbling a 
choice bit of new unsealed comb, when he suddenly remem- 
bereil that he had an adventure to tell. He was in. that happy 
stage when the mind is as tranquil as a spring morning, and 
the stomach has earned the warm gratitude of its owner, tor 
having such a liberal capacitv. Patrick was full — not quite 
too full for utterance, else we would have been compelled to 
forego the pleasure of learning just how and where he passed 
through such pleasant experiences. 

Clearing his throat with a consequential air. he began : 
"When I joined Cap. H's. reegiment a couple of years ago, 
nobody ever thought about me a-gettin' any higher than a 
private, or a corporal at the best. But I was a-gwine to 
prove jist what stuff was in me, and I saved my reegiment, 
and don't vou believe nothin' else." 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLOEIDA. 79 



Of course we wanted to know how Pat had saved his regi- 
ment, and after waiting discreetly a few minutes, in order to 
give us an opportunity of asking him to continue his narrative, 
he proceeded : 

"Well, I tell you how it was. You see we kinder got out 
o' grub. Now, I've knowed of reegiments that fowt like 
killin' snakes, and didn't have no shootin' irons, nother ; but 
when it comes to a lot of men fightin' when they haint got 
enough in their craws to keep a week-old chicken alive two 
minutes, they haint a-gwine to do much fightin', I can tell you. 
Well, it was jist that bad with us. We tramped through 
swamps and over hills, and we couldn't shoot nothin', not 
even a kyarn crow, nor a buzzard. The Cap. had begun to 
look mighty black, and says he, 'Well, bullys hit's about 
gittin' the best of us, this time, and we mowt as well say our 
prayers and hold a council of starvation,' says he. Says I, 
'Cap., I'm nothin' but a common soldier, but if you'll gimme 
a chance I'll dust around and have everybody full to the chin 
before two hours,' says I. The Cap. allowed I was jist 
a-talkin' to hear myself, but all the same, he 'lowed I might 
try, seein' as how things was lookin' so black. To-be-sure, 
some of the men was a-lyin' down, and fixin' to drop off. 
One of 'em 'lowed as how he had been born with a pipe 
in his mouth, and was a-gwine to take his last smoke, feelin' 
happ3^ and contented. I told 'em as how I was a-gwine to 
knock all that nonsense in the head, and that they must not 
give up till they hearn from me agin. But they jist wunk 
their eyes and rolled over." 

The listeners cleared their throats incredulously at this 
tragic turn of affairs, but Pat continued, as he artistically sev- 
ered a piece of comb, and cautiously proceeded to consume it: 

"Well, I left 'em lyin' there, and knowed I'd have to 
skedaddle, or I'd find a fust-class funeral all in full blast when 
I got back. I took a ax and went after a bee tree. And, lo 
aod behold! I hadn't gone more'n a quarter 'fore I seen a 
stream of bees a-comin' out'n a big forked cypress. I fell to 
choppin' on it, and hadn't much more'n got through the sap, 



80 SCF.NF.S IN SOrTU F1.0Kll>.V. 



whoa out popped a stivam of honey as big as my arm.** A 
most energetic yawning interrupted the nairator at this mo- 
ment. Init he dauntlessly eontlnued : 

"Maybe von wouldn't have believed it. but that honey 
was as clear as spring-water, and 1 eotch my hat full the 
fust thing. "But gosh I' savs T. 'that won't begin to be a taste 
for them starvin' critters.* So 1 took and peeled off a big- 
hunk of bark and let it run full. AVelb I looked through the 
swamp and seen a 'tater pateh on a hill on t'other side. I 
knowed them tellers 'ould want sump' in' 'sides pyore honey, 
so I run over there, and it wan't no time 'fore I was a- 
grabblin' them 'taters. Yes. a big flop-eared hound did make 
for me, but about the time he come 'yoogle, yoogle,' atter me, 
I gin him a dost from my rit^e, and you know them there pills 
alius gits in their work " 

At this supreme moment a solitary bee wandered past, 
and perhaps becoming angry at the coolness with which we 
had appropriated his hard earnings, surely and quickly selected 
Pat's upper lip for his resting place. The struggle was short 
and sharp. Pat danced the can-can. making havoc with some 
of our honey, and it was with a sad eve and pulsating lip that 
he resumed his seat. His remarks were brief, but to the 
point, as had been the encounter with the ..ngry insect, and 
when we ventured to ask whether that was the kind of "pills" 
he had referred to. he looked dangerous. "We wondered what 
became of the starving "reegiment'* that had lain down to 
die, but we were not enlightened any further as to their fate. 
Pat went about with an overhanging lip. and a dogged deter- 
mination to say as little as possible. 

\\"e then cut several other trees, and secured as much of 
the money as we could carry home in our improvised knap- 
sacks of saw-palmetto. AVe brought home enough honey to 
last for sevei'al weeks. Even at this day. the region around 
Lake Winder is rich in bee-trees and honey, and people some- 
times go as far as thirty miles to get a stand of bees from that 
vicinity. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 81 



CHAPTER IV. 

IN WHICH A COMPAMY OF SOLDIEKS GET SHORT OF RATIONS AND 
THE READER IS INTRODUCED TO A REMARK- 
ABLE FAMILY. 

I beg my readers to excuse me for recurring to an inci- 
dent wliich might have come nndertlie laead ot "War Reminis- 
cences ;" but, at this day and time, we can, through the 
agency of memory, enter the l)attle-field and view the strife 
without fear of stray bullets, and the terrors of those days 
have given place to the quiescent recollections, which still 
form the darling theme of many a veteran in the evening of 
life. As this will probably be the last of my '"war series," I 
hope the reader will patiently hear me through the recital of 
an adventure of mine, which, while perhaps devoid of dra- 
matic or sensational detail, is none the less strongly impressed 
on my memory. 

First, I will introduce you to our camp, situated on the 
east side of Pease Creek, half a mile from Fort Meade, on a 
little stream called Sink Branch, You observe that the sur- 
rounding country is high, rolling pine land, but as we cross a 
low ridge covered with willow-oaks, we come suddenly upon 
one of the wonders of this remarkal)le region. JNIaking our 
way through the tangle of myrtle and palmetto, we suddenly 
behold, lying at our feet, a crystal-clear spring, bubbling up 
with great energy. The spring is twenty feet across and is 
fathomless. In all probability, this spring is fed through 
sonie deep subterranean passage, by the waters of Pease 



83 SOKNKS IN SOI TH FI.OKIPA. 



Creek. The wntcr is delieiously cool niiil as pure as moun- 
tain dew. Undor the shade of some ovcrhanuino- willow-oaks 
we pitehed our touts, and 1 di>ubt if wo could have louinl a 
bettor oanipiuu-spot in South Florida. 

\\ rose from an inviooratiug breakfast of fresh venison, 
on the moruino- of tho tenth of May, 1S57, and assembled re- 
spoettully to^othor. to rcoei\e coniinands for the day's sor\iee 
from our eaptaiu, William R. ]Moselv. of the Florida Mounted 
Volunteers. (^Captain Mosely was a son of Ex-Governor 
Mosely, ot Florida, and was one of the best men T ever knew 
— the soldiers were all nuieh attached to him. Ho once 
owned a large tract of land on the Heights, near Palatka. and 
I believe is still living. ) For manv davs previous we had not 
been called upon to perform any serious or exciting dutv, and 
had deported ourselves as hunters, rather than soldiers. But 
now, something more serious was before us. Captain 
Mosely told us, briefly, that wo were to go on a scout and 
gather in the few Seminoles who wore yet out of the fold. In 
other words, we were to penetrate a region, which, at that 
time, was almost entirely unknown and nutraveled. That, 
too, in the face of rumors of tho ugliest sort, concerning the 
dire t.ite of certain venturesome parties who had penetrated 
into this unpeopled wilderness in search of game, but no ani- 
mal came near them, except the black vultures which found 
their poor, starved and shrixolod corpses near some bav 
or hidden stream, where the lost hunters had lain down to 
die. in despair of ever getting home again. The distance to 
be traversed was something near a hundred miles, and the 
"loinada del Muerto"* that lay between, held out but little 
inducement to us. although not one of tlie stout Florida vol- 
unteers hesitated for a moment to obov the call of dutw Our 
destination was Camp "Whipple, where a company of regulars 

"The ••.)orn;nl.i del Mxiorto" i,!>pJ«i>>sh "Journey of Death") is .1 long arid 
strip of l.inil lying- west of tlie Uio Orando, where travelers often perislt for waul 
of food and water, while trying to ort^ss the great soda plains. In the Florid* 
"Jornada, ■ however, the traveler suffered only for want of food. Water was 
plentiftU. and only the laek of game .ind the sp.irse population rendei-ed it un- 
safe for those who attempted the journey unprepared. But since then the region 
has become the homo of a happy and prosperous peojile. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLOW DA. 



were staiioned. At that place we were to turn over our pris- 
oners, if \vc were so fortunate as to make a capture, make our 
reports, and return to Fort Meade. 

It was perhaps six o'clock in the morniiif^, when we 
shouldered arms and marched fortli over the lon<^ shapes, 
carpeted with wire grass, which quivered and swayed in the 
morning breeze like a ground-swell on the ocean. The cav- 
ernous excavations o£ the gophers, and tlie little liillocks of 
yellow sand, upheaved by the "salamanders," were the only 
traces of animal life to lie seen in that lonely spot. 

Then we descended into long stretches of llatwoods, cov- 
ered with !i rank growth of blueberry, myrtle, saw palmetto 
and siren-llower. Our eyes were well practised in detecting 
Indian trails, but we utterly failetl to discover anything what- 
ever. Evidently the wary redskins were ensconced in some 
thick, shady hammock or bay-head, not trusting themselves 
out on open ground. 

And whenever of one these jungles was approached, we 
began to look out for a shower of bullets from the hidden foe. 
Very often had a whole company been routed by a fusilade 
from a few dastardly rascals hidden in the jDalmetto and 
bramble, through which the}'' glided with the ease of rattle- 
snakes, when pursued. In the hammocks the white man was 
hardly a match for the Seminole. 

VV^e marched along until the end of the second day, when 
our provisions gave out. The farther we went the less en- 
couraging became the prospect, and in the morning we began 
to feel serious, for as the sun ascended, our appetites rose ac- 
cordingly, and the wherewith to satisfy our cravings was no 
where to be found. From hunting human beings, we turned 
our attention toward hunting for something to eat. When 
the day was far advanced, and we were faint and weary, one 
of the men found a bunch of comptie, the famous bread-root of 
the Indians. We tried to prepare some of the roots for food, 
by peeling them and frying them in the litt:le mickle of lard 
we had saved, and we forced down a few spoonsful of the 



84 SCENES IN SOUTH FLOKIDA. 



wretched mess. It is not necessary to say that we vowed to 
discard comptie from our bill of fare in the future. When 
prepared properly, it tastes very nuich like arrow-root or cas- 
sava, although it does not contain as much nourishment as 
either. 

The morning of the third day dawned upon a landscape 
radiant with dewy flowers, but it brought but little comfort to 
the handful of starving soldiers, who were looking as though 
they were well-nigh exhausted. "Tat" Kendrick and I vol- 
unteered to set forth in search of Camp Whipple, which we 
knew must lie within ten miles of us. Mounting our ponies 
we struck out toward Pease Creek, and reached the mouth of 
that stream after a two hours' ride. At this place we fired off 
ovu" guns, and were rejoiced to hear the answering report of a 
gun away off to the south. We repeated the signal, fearing 
that there might have been some mistake, and again the 
friendly booming of the guns told us that deliverance was 
near. My companion, "Tat" Kendrick, usually so vivacious, 
witty and full of life, had grown haggard and wan, and the 
few words he uttered were freighted with woe unutterable. 
His hopes revived, however, v%hcn he heard the guns. Right 
here, before I go any further, I wish to say a few words about 
the Kendrick family. They were a jovial, fun-loving set of 
mortals, who often whiled away the hours when in congenial 
company, by telling monstrous tales, which by far eclipsed 
Munchhausen or Jules Verne in the richness and grotesque- 
ness of their imagination. Finally, "Old Bill Kendrick" 
became known as the "tarnationest story-teller in all 
Flurridy," and so rapidly did his fame spread, that people 
began to "make allowances" for everything Mr. Kendrick 
said, whether joking or in eainest. This sad state of affairs 
did not alarm the old gentleman in the least, although it did 
him great injustice, for he was; after all, a sober, industrious 
citizen, his greatest drawback being a light regard for the wel- 
fare of his own good name. 

As usual, when a person attained distinction in that re- 
gion, everybody was ready to swell his reputation and add to 
his fame. Anybody who could make up a varn on old Billy, 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 85 



repeated it whenever practicable, and many of his traducers 
were his inferiors, when it came to that. Somebody, who 
had very little else to do, told a hug-e story about Billy Ken- 
drick and his brother Tat, which represented the latter as hav- 
ing once out-lied his brother Bill so completely that the old 
gentleman was sorely grieved ; and bowed his head and wept, 
and the sound of his weeping was heard afar off — boohooing 
like a colicky baby. I can not at this moment distinctly recall 
the yarn supposed to have been told by Tat, but I think it was 
something about a fish he had caught, which was so large that 
it made a hole in the water so big that it was three days in 
filling up. They said that the yarn reformed Bill, and that 
he quit the romancing business then, and for all time. 

Tat Kendrick rode off toward the spot from whence the 
sounds of the gun came, while I returned to the camp and re- 
ported the good news to our captain. It put new life into 
every man and strengthened them for the journey. 

Now, I am strongly tempted to unveil a tragedy which was 
being enacted as I came into camps, wherein a poor, helpless 
gopher was the victim, perishing at the hands of a dozen 
soldiers, but I will not betray my companions-in-arms, for any 
consideration. Besides, if I were to tell you that the men 
with all due reverence and respect, presented the two fore- 
legs of the miserable little turtle to their captain, before con- 
suming the rest with the relish of starved vultures, you would 
not believe it; so, I will remain silent on the subject. 

When we reached Camp Whipple, we were in a sad con- 
dition ; completely exhausted and half-delirious. We were of 
course not allowed to eat as fast as our appetites prompted, 
and it was a long time befoi'e we were satisfied. We were 
taken care of in the best possible manner, and in a week were 
able to return to Fort Meade. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLOEIDA. 87 



CHAPTER V. 

some remarks about the semixoles descriptiox of the 

"green-corn dance," and other customs. 

The annals of this decaying race, if written in strict 
obedience to the laws of truth, and without prejudice, would 
place them in a better light than the one in which most peo- 
ple are disposed to regard them. The Comanche and Arapa- 
hoe are as inferior to the Seminole, morally and mentally, as 
is possible, in two tribes of Indians. The fiendish 
instinct which leads the wild tribes of the West to prolong 
the death of a captive over a slow fire, is totally lacking in 
the red man of Florida. Through all the long and bloody 
strife which preceded the settlement of Florida, no well- 
well-grounded tale was ever told, of a Seminole putting a 
captive to death in an unnatural manner. He was none the 
less heroic or warlike, for his lack of brutality; in war, his 
first thought was to subdue his enemy at once and forever, 
with a bullet ; the thought of a lingering death was not pleas- 
ant to him. The customs and habits of the aborigines of 
Florida are not such as as wonid grace a parlor or ball-room, 
but they are by no means repulsive. The wild, free life which 
suits them best has engendered in them a love of freedom, 
which they know how to fight for with energy and wear with 
dignity. 

However, the few Seminoles who remain as relics of 
past glory and power, are becoming demoralized, in an 
alarming degree, by the encroachments of modern civilization 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



and "wyonn" (\\ liLskcy). These potent ageuts have, in a 
great measure, subjugated the eesta-chatta's wild, unbridled 
tendency to live and die as free and as innocent of work, 
as the alligators and herons of his native marshes. 

The average Seminole of to-day scorns any impediment 
in the way of breeches, and seems to think that the use of these 
garments betokens little else but vanity and extravagance on 
the part of those who wear them. The change of the season 
does not affect his attire, for the only garment between him 
and the world — -a stout, well-greased shirt — serves him as 
well in winter as in spring. Sometimes they come striding 
into Kissimmee, as stately and en deshabille as a bronze sta- 
tue of Mercurj^ . Lately, however, the braves are presented 
with a pair of pants immediately upon their arrival in Kis- 
simmee. Tom Tiger has formed the habit of dressing in a 
becoming manner, and when rigged out in a pair of new 
pants, a pair of moccasins, a blight, clean calico shirt, and a 
half-dozen red handkerchiefs around his neck, crowned with 
an immense red turban, no one can help admiring him. His 
splendid figure, and the careless, unconscious grace with 
which he carries himself, will always impress the person who 
meets Tom Tiger for the first time. Billy Buster, who is a 
little older than Tom, does not reflect much glory on his 
his ancestry. Billy still remains as unregenerated as can be, 
and disdainfully refuses to accept the pair of pants usually 
tendered him upon his arrival in Kissimmee. Nobody ever 
saw Billy Buster dressed like a white man, and it's very likely 
that nobody ever will. 

The Seminole language is a curious anomaly of verbs 
adjectives and nouns : I am almost tempted to say that these 
complete the parts of speech in Seminole grammar. The 
words are almost invariably accented on the penultimate 
syllable, and are rich in aspirates and linguidentals. Like 
the Russian language, the Seminole has no article, the words 
"the" and "a" being unknown. I will give the following 
Sennnole words, with their eqivalent in English, in lieu of a 
longer dissertation on the grammar of the language, and in 



SCENES IN SOUTi 
^TLORIDA. 89 



pronouncing them, the reader shoul; ' 

the words are accented on the syllable bear in mind that all 

^.xt to the last: 
Ab-bass-wah -^ 

Soff-kee ^read. 

Po-leg-dah Sto-its, or comptie. 

Ee-fah -Dog: or chair. 

. Hal-pa-tah AUigat 

Ee-cho Deer. 

Che-lok-kah Horse. 

Wah-ku-hoo-tee .Bull, 

Wah-ku .Steer. 

Wah-ku-pos-see Cow. 

Wah-ku-pos-see-ne-hah .Butter. 

Toad-kah Fire. 

O-skay .Rain. 

To-kabiss-loo .Boat. 

The following words form an exception to the general 
rule, having the rising inflection on the ^ast syllable: 

Chan-kee Hand. 

Thath-o Fish. 

Chit-tokkanee-wah Money. 

Chit-tokkanee-wah-katee Purse. 

Lo-kasee Bear. 

The above will suffice to give the reader an idea of this 
barbarous tongue, and will probably satisfy all who survive 
the first trial. 

I do not think there are more than three hundred In- 
dians living in Florida at the present day, although no accu- 
rate figures can be obtained, owing to their shyness and diead 
of anything pertaining to "red tape." Rumor once had it 
that Jacob Summerlin, one of the foremost of the frontiers- 
men of Florida, and a cattle-king of no mean dominion, once 
laid a striking and original plan for taking a census of all the 
Seminoles in Florida, which apparently should have sue- 



90 SCENES IN ^^^^TH FLORIDA. 



ceeded. It was alleges?) ^^^^ ^^ ^®"^ ^" ^^^"^ among them, 
to announce that a ^a*-'"'^ festival was to be given at Fort 
Myers, and the whoJid ^"^^ ^^^ invited to partake of it. But 
the plan was a fad =^^^ ^ "Holiv^augus— no good!" was the 
sententious replv ' ^"^ ^^ amount of argument or explanation 
could convince t-^®"^ ^^^^ ^^^ invitation did not arise from 
sinister motive^* 

Like p-**^^^ other tribes, the Seminoles consider the la- 
bors of th'^ f^G^d far beneath their dignity. The squaw is the 
farmer '^^ile the brave warrior scours the hammocks and 
flatwo'^^^ in search of game, or dozes away the long sum- 
j^g^ hours beneath the oak and palm. The fine corn and 
py.mpkins, of which I have spoken in the first part of my 
pook, were planted and tended by these patient, hornv- 
handed daughters of toil. 

\ Many years ago, I became acquainted with a young man 

named Moore, who had earned quite a reputation by his at- 
tempts to affiliate with the Seminoles, and become as one of 
them. He stayed wi*h them three months, and in that pe- 
riod of time, saw many of their peculiar manners and cus- 
toms displayed. He often spoke of the famous "green-corn 
dance," which he had once seen. Now, I never was an eye- 
witness of this peculiar ceremony, and will have to quote Mr. 
Moore as my authority for the following description : 

He had been with them perhaps a month, and had been 
initiated into many of their mysteries. In his intercourse 
with them, he had picked up enough of their language to 
make himself intelligible to them; his fine sportsmanship, un- 
erring aim and unfailing good humor had won the admiration 
of the young braves, and even the old, long-headed warriors 
had begun to regard him with less suspicion. Many a frisky 
squirrel, seemingly secure, on the topmost boughs of the 
towering live oaks and hickories, came whirling to the ground 
at the call of his rifle, and if he "jumped" a deer, there was 
sure to be venison in camp that day. Littleton Hancock, in 
his palmiest days, cou'd not have been a greater terror to 
deer than was this man Mooie. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 91 

As I said before, he had been with the ludiuns about a 
month, when he saw the dance, and it was in early May. 
One day, soon after the orange blooms had faded in the 
hammocks, and the tassels were just browning over the fields 
of corn, there were great preparations made, for some sort 
of feast, which Moore could not account for, and the Indians 
were not communicative on the subject. Great piles of 
comptie had been dug and washed ; many cabbage palm trees 
were slaughtered, and the snow-white buds prepared for the 
pot. A spot of ground was selected in the shadiest part of 
the hammock, where three giant-bodied live oaks leaned their 
great arms together, and a large space of ground under the 
trees was divested of its growth of palmettoes and bushes, 
"nd swept clean. A fire of rich pine-knots and oak limbs was 

■n the center, and after awhile, there was a deep bed of 

The women came in from the fields, laden with 

" "h they husked and placed in the embers to 

roast, whiif men held secret council together, and 

■ ' '^■- - i hogs brought in by the young war- 

ecesses of the Coontee-sassa-hollober, 
. me, bearing venison and bear-meat on 

their . the islands of Okeechobee, and the 

heron-tena. .es and hammocks of the great Coontee- 

seema-pollawau d Saffaj-eehojee's Town, the dusky red 
legions came trooping to the scene of festivity. 

When the guests had assembled, the chief, glittering in 
war paint and silver ornaments, rose to his feet and in a few 
words, directed the opening of the performance. A circle 
was formed, and a march begun, during which a strange, 
dirge-like song was chanted ; faster and faster moved the pro- 
cession around the fire. On and on they swept, not pausing 
a moment for breath, until finally, the yelling, dancing, 
jumping redskins sank down to rest, and to feast on the ven- 
ison, comptie and palm-cabbage, which were temptingly dis- 
played on platters of palmetto. The fragrant brown ears of 
roasted corn were brought forward and distributed among the 
throng, as an emblem of future peace and prosperity. 

Moore said that one peculiar feature of this custom was. 



92 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA; 

that all fugitives who had been banished from the tribes, 
were allowed to return, for a brief period, even when they had 
been exiled for some grave offense. As the procession formed 
around the fire, there could be seen brothers, sisters, parents 
and sometimes sweethearts, standing and waiting for the dear 
one who had been long absent. 

At a Seminole wedding, the new couple enter a ring 
composed of two or three dozen dancers. The procession 
moves rapidly around them ; the bridegroom carries in his 
hand a piece of venison, and the bride has an ear of corn, 
which she hands to her husband, saying: "I will provide bread 
if you will furnish the meat." Whereupon, the warrior pre- 
sents the venison to his squaw, and repeats his part of the 
formula. 

Moore also witnessed a war-dance, in which over fifty 
braves participated. While they were forming a ring, pre- 
paratory to commencing the dance, the chief hid himself in 
the densest portion of the hammock, and no one dared ap- 
proach him ; some mysterious rite was being celebrated, which 
must not be witnessed by profane eyes — perhaps a consecration 
of body and soul, to the god of war. In the meantime, the 
solemn, measured minuet began ; in deep chest-tones, the 
warriors sang the song of battle, their voices rising from a 
low wail in a minor key, to a roar like that of an alligator. Sud- 
denly, without the least warning, the chief came bounding 
into the midst of the ring. The circle widened, leaving him 
plenty of room for his wild leaps and gyrations, and the yells 
of the excited savages rose to the highest notch. The chief 
took a stick of sour-orange wood, on one end of which was a 
carving of a man's head ; thrusting this in the ground, in the 
center of the circle, he drew his long, bright hunting-knife, 
brought it down upon the carved head, and went through all 
the motions of scalping. Then rose the death-song : 

Ecali-csah-ah-lec — 
Ecah-bosah-ah-lce ! 

Wah - luck - luck - luck — 

W^ah-luck-luck-luck ! 
Wah-lucklo-bah-ah-lee ! 
()luc.klo-\vah-ah-lee ! 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 93 

The orgies were now at the highest pitch, and it would 
not have been safe to jump into their midst, at that moment. 
Moore said that he "lay low and sung easy," while that 
war-dance was going on. After the ceremony of scalping 
was ended, the panting braves subsided, and they proceeded 
to stow away an incredible amount of comptie and venison. 

An Indian needs but one cooking utensil. A brass kettle 
takes the place of pot, stew-pan, oven, basin and bucket, and 
great care is taken to keep it polished brightly. On rainy 
days, the equaws whittle out spoons, and that completes the 
list of table-ware, for the eesta-chatta has no use for cups or 
dishes. 

Seminoles have very strict ideas of social virtue, and any of 
their number— male or female — who oversteps the bounds of 
of chastity, is severely punished. Perpetual banishment has 
often been inflicted on those who broke the laws in this re- 
spect ; Billy Bowlegs, a former chief of the Seminoles, was 
condemned to wander apart from his tribe, for a long time, as 
a punishment for some misdeed of a similar nature. Tom 
Tiger once brought his squaw (o town on a visit, and 
while there, of course she attracted a good deal of attention. 
One of the "big men" of the town invited Tom and his squaw 
to take a boat ride with him, on a neighboring lake. Tom 
accepted the invitation in»silence, but eyed the eesta-hotka 
distrustfully, all the while; with an Indian's keen perec^ption, 
he concluded that the white man was not actuated solely by a 
desire to please him and his squaw, and he prepared himself 
for some unfair trick. But the pale-face had no swch inten- 
tions ; the Indians interested him, and he wished to learn 
some of their peculiar ways. He learned a good deal. Act- 
uated by a sudden burst of gallantry, he seized Mrs. Tiger's 
hand. Tom raised his gun, and with a "Holiwaugus!" that 
w^ould have startled anybody, ordered the boat put about for 
land. Tom and his squaw hustled off down the river, to Ro- 
salie. He never brought his squaw to that place any more, 
and it is very likely that that white man generally managed to 
be absent, whenever the Indians "painted the town red." 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 96 



CHAPTER VI. 

NED MARR AND MYSELF TRY OUR FORTUNES ON INDIAN RIVER 

A NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH. 

Many and varied have been the descriptions of the In- 
dian River region, and it is not an easy task to traverse un- 
trodden ground in speaking of it at this day and time. Sid- 
ney Lanier dreamed his sweetest dreams under its feathery 
cocoa palms, and tells us, in glowing words, how his heart 
was enthralled by the weird beauties of the enchanted river. 
Audubon, the great naturalist, entrapped the purple gallinule 
and roseate spoonbill in its silent marshes, and left for 
succeeding generations, a record of the wonders of that region, 
and now when the blase tourist has become surfeited with the 
scenes of the West, he often comes to the shores of Indian 
river, to forget fatigue and ennui in the charms of bee-hunt- 
ing, mullet-catching, and chasing that noble animal, the bear. 
And if he wishes to descend, at one flop, from the sublime to 
the ridiculous, he takes a "grain" in his hand, and impales 
the festive stingaree. This animal (which is also called "the 
bob-tail end of creation") will receive proper attention farther 
on. 

I was more fortunate than many other mortals, in the se- 
lection of a birthplace, and have always been proud of my 
good judgment in choosing Florida as my native State ; in- 
deed, that is the only act of my life of which I can make much 
boast. Having been born in the semi-tropic zone, I did not 
have to go through the initiating process, like the people who 
come here late in life. And as the years increase, I lose not 
a ray of the sunshine that surrounded my infancy, and I might 



96 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

well say that the Florida of half a century ago was not more 
pleasant than it is to-day. The people, with their steamboats, 
railroads and other big projects have turned things around 
completely, making a new country of it. And in the midst 
of all this, the old stagers are all having their say, about how 
it "used to was." Now my turn has come. 

The chilling winds of November, A. D. 1S58, were caus- 
ing the orange trees to huddle their limbs together for warmth 
and protection, when my companion Ned Marr and myself 
concluded to forsake our bachelor quarters on Tampa Bay, 
and seek more congenial surroundings on the east coast. Our 
objective point was Honey Branch, which had attracted my 
attention when I passed through that region several years be- 
fore. The greater part of the remainder of the year was con- 
sumed in reaching our destination, and when we got there, 
the first act of our administration was to build a hut of poles 
and palm leaves. We were well supplied with knives, forks, 
tin-plates and other kitchen utensils, having attended to all 
business of that description before we left TamjDa Bay. The 
spot selected for our future home was a shady nook, in a cab- 
bage palm grove, within a few feet of the river. Taking a 
sharp hatchet, I sought out some slender poles from a ham- 
mock near by. Each pole was about eight feet long, and had 
a crotch on one end, formed by the short stump of a limb 
spared for that purpose. The other end was hewn to a sharp 
point. One pair of poles was cut three feet longer than the 
rest. I stuck the four short poles in the ground, forming a 
square of about fourteen feet ; the long poles were placed in 
the middle at the ends so as to give the roof the proper giant. 
Other poles wei'^ used to finish up the frame-work. Mean- 
while, my friend Marr was bv no means idle. Taking a 
sharp hatchet, he climed the trunks of the palm trees by 
means of dead leafstems, and cut off the great green fronds 
or leaves ; depriving these of their stems, he piled them up 
near the frame of the hut. Then we both went to work, and 
at the end of two days, had a roof over our heads, and a cosy 
place to sleep. In all this piece of architecture there was not 
a particle of iron, everything being lashed together with strips 
of palm leaves. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 97 

Full of peace and contentment, we moved into our new- 
quarters. I can not describe the exquisite sense of comfort I 
experienced when, after a day of brisk fishing and hunting-, I 
lay down to rest, beneath a roof of fragrant palm leaves ; and 
what music the rain did make, as it pattered overhead! Nev- 
er more will I see such days of unmixed pleasure ; never again 
can I pass such nights, fanned by the cool breeze, and lulled 
to sleep by the murmur of the rain. But this isn't business — 
this strajnng off the track — and I will finish the description o* 
our palmetto hut, by saying that it was perfectly water-tight, 
and built to last ten years. 

Marr and I, in seeking this region as a home, were filled 
with the idea that we could make our fortune in an orange 
grove. As well as I can remember, the "orange fever" did 
not fully break out until the fall of 1858, but the few who 
were stricken had it bad, and my comrade and I were among 
the earlier victims. Reports of enormous returns from small 
investments in orange groves reached us from time to time, 
and fired our ambition to "go and do likewise." 

In one respect, we succeeded admiiably. The spot we 
selected for the scene of our operations, was one which left 
nothing to be desired, as far as nature went. A cool spring of 
water lifted its crystal waves into the sunlight within easy 
reach of our door; Indian river, with its untold wealth of fish 
and fowl, spread out to the east of us, and*''we had only to 
shoulder a gun and enter the hammock, to supply our table 
with bear or turkey. Deer were so common that we let them 
go, sometimes, out of sheer contempt. We cleared about an 
acre in the hammock, where the soil was blackest and deepest, 
and grubbed leisurely along, until we had prepared ground 
for about two dozen trees. We found a wild grove not far 
away, and transplanted a few of them where we thought they 
would d o the most good. But when the leaves began to have 
that rich, golden hue which the ripe fruit possesses, and speed- 
ily turned into so many dry, withered sticks, we gave up, in 
despair of ever making an orange grove. We planted them 
among a tangle of roots, and in taking them up, chopped off 
nearly all their side-roots, while the tap-roots were lopped off 



98 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

without mercy. The only wonder is, that they lived as lon^ 
as they did. If I had practised a little less sportsmanship 
then, and went about the orange business in the right way, 
and entered that fine tract of land, I would be worth, to-day, 
fifty thousand dollars more than I am. 

Thus, the wmter was whiled away, and spnng came. 
Our nearest neighbor, Captain John Houston, lived fifteen 
miles away to the north, on Elbow Creek, at a place now 
called Eau Gallic. But when we got our supplies, we had to 
take a boat and row about thirty miles southward, to Fort 
Capron, where Major William Russell kept a little grocery 
store. The Major supplied the people for leagues around, 
with the necessaries of life, and his store was the Mecca of 
many a long pilgrimage. 

In the month of May, it fell to my lot, to take such a jour- 
ney. I entered a boat, and, taking enough dried venison, 
onions and roasted potatoes along, to keep me a live for three 
days, set out for Fort Capron. The first night, I camped in 
a hammock, near the river side. The moon was just rising, 
and showed up everything plainly. I was intently engaged 
in picking up dry sticks to make a fire, when I looked up and 
was startled at the sight of a bear sitting on his haunches, 
within five feet of me. He was a monster. How in the 
world it was that I came so near the bear without alarming 
him, I never could imagine. I groped wildly for the hatchet, 
and if it had been found, I could very easily have brained him 
on the spot. Finding that the hatchet was determined to 
elude my grasp, I yelled at the top of my voice. Such a jump 
as that bear gave! Talk about your deer, but that bear 
made better time (and more noise) than a runaway team of 
mules, as he tore through the hammock. That was the last 
of the bear episode, and I will, now proceed to conclude this 
chapter by the recital of something none the less true, but a 
little more serious. 

One day in early June, I took a stroll out toward the head 
of the St. Sebastian, which was not more than two miles away. 
I was looking for bee-trees, and entered a scope of country 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 99 

that contained but little water. It was Friday — unlucky day ! 
— and I encountered something that afternoon, which came 
near cutting short my thread of existence. 

The weather was warm, and I became very thirsty. No 
water appeared to exist in that region at all, but as I was hur- 
rying back home, my eye fell on a gi'een, grassy spot, off to 
the right, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a 
small dried-up pond, covered with a rank growth of maiden- 
cane, and a clump of willow trees in the centre. Very natur- 
ally, the first thing I thought of was water, and in I walked. I 
wore nothing on my feet but a pair of moccasins, and should 
have known better. I had nearly reached the clump of wil- 
lows, when a blow was struck on my foot, which nearly 
knocked me down. I hastily parted the grass, in order to get 
a view of the alligator — for I felt sure nothing else could have 
given such a blow — and was horrified to catch a glimpse of a 
stump -tailed cotton-mouth snake of immense size. After de- 
livering the blow, he wriggled off through the maiden-cane so 
quickly that I could not kill him, but I saw enough to con- 
vince me that he was not less than five inches in diameter, and 
a little over four feet long. These hideous serpents are fully 
as much dreaded as the rattlesnake, although their poison 
does not act so quickly. Without a moment's hesitation, I 
rushed out of the grass, and ran toward home with all my 
strength. There was a sensation like a piece of red-hot iron 
clinging to my toes, where the fangs had struck. At every 
step, the pain increased, and it seemed as if a thousand hot 
needles were piercing my body. Worse than all, my leg be- 
came so stiff and badly swollen that I could not run any more, 
and began to think that death would come to me in the woods, 
with no help nigh. Three times I staggered and fell, and 
each time it was more difficult to regain my feet. With all 
my power, I continued to cry for help, but my companion did 
not hear me until I had reached the border of the clearing. 
He ran out and half carried me to the house. 

The poor fellow was almost frantic, and knew not what 
to do. But like a flash of light into the darkness of the sit- 
uation, came the recollection of something I had heard Dr. 



100 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

Reid, of Savannah, say about his method of curing snake- 
bites. He made a poultice of raw onions, beaten up tine, 
and applied to the wound. I barely succeeded in telling 
this to Ed. Marr, when I went into delirium, and did not re- 
gain consciousness until next day, when I was surprised to see 
the injured limb almost as large as my body. Marr was bend- 
ing over me, and applying a fresh poultice. Faithful fellow ! 
he never closed his eyes once during the night, and had re- 
newed the poultice every half hour. Fortunately, we had 
raised a good crop of onions, and I know that they saved my 
life. 

The swelling subsided very gradually, and it was two 
weeks before I regained the use of my limbs. Whisky is con- 
sidered the sovereign remedy for snake-bites, but there was 
not a (hop of it within a hundred miles of us, and there is no 
doubt that raw onions, alone, applied in the manner men- 
tioned, will cure any snakc-bitc, if used in time. 

We stayed there until the war broke out between the 
States, when I left for St, Augustine, to join the army. Ed. 
Marr remained at the hut, and the next time I heard from him, 
he had gone on that long, swift journey we all must take, 
sooner or later. Among all the dear, departed friends, there 
is none who holds a dearer place in my memorj^, than this, my 
companion of the olden time. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. lOi 



CHAPTER V 1 1. 

INTKODUCING A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF "ALLIGATOR 
FERGUSON." SOME OLD-TIME HEROES. 

It is strange how men will get names fastened on them. 
By some untoward circumstance, the unfortunate wight gets 
a ridiculous soubriquet attached to his name, which, like a 
deep scar, lasts as long as the man lives. I once knew a man 
who, by some accident, got his eye injured ; the first thing he 
knew, everybody was calling him "Old Frog-eyed Bill," and 
another acquaintance of mine was christened "Horse-leg 
Jim," on account of some slight obliquity in his make-up. 
Both men were known only by these names. "Alligator Fer- 
guson" and "Alligator Piatt" wore their nicknames into the 
grave. It starts, sometimes, from something a person has 
said or done, and often from some personal peculiarity. 
Here in Florida, a man wins a name by his exploits. (I am 
not dealing, now, with military nomenclature; for of course, 
majors, generals, lieutenants and commodores are as plentiful 
as mosquitoes, and a corporal is seen occasionally.) I am 
speaking of such heroes as Alligator Ferguson and Alligator 
Piatt, whose fame shall never fade from the minds of those 
Tv'ho were witnesses of the great havoc made by these men 
among the alligators, in good old days gone by. Not from 
nny fancied resemblance to the saurian tribe, nor from any 
jumphibious inclination, were these gentlemen graced with 
the names above mentioned. The titles were fairly and 
honorably won, and as substantial and unfading as any you 
«=t^-er heard of. 



102 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

Alligator Ferguson didn't confine his operations any par- 
ticular portion of South Florida ; from Tampa to Biscayne 
Bay, and from the saw-grass fields of Lake Apopka to the 
shores of Okeechobee, he created consternation among the 
scaly denizens of the marshes, and I think he could lay claim 
to having killed more alligators than any other man living. 
He made his bed among them, ate among them, spent many 
months among them, as his only companions, and it is prob- 
able that he hardly ever thought or talked of anvthing but al- 
ligators. The gigantic snarls and growls with which they 
communed together in early spring, was the only music 
which charmed his ears. At that time of the j'ear, he know 
they could be found in pairs, and were more easily captured. 
He stayed among them so long that he became, as some peo- 
ple said, almost amphibious. One man thought Ferguson's 
teeth were growing longer, and another, with an exception- 
ally keen pair of eyes, was certain that the great hunter's skin 
was growing rough and hard, in patches, preparatorv to 
changing into scales. Ferguson didn't care a cent what they 
said or thought about him. so long as he could kill big alliga- 
tors, and sell their teeth. 

When I first saw him, in iS8o, he had given up the alli- 
gator business, and comn.enecd carrving fruit from the Ten 
Thousand Islands to Tampa. He made quite a snug sum 
from the teeth of the 'gators he had killed, and became an ex- 
pert at the business. Teeth were worth from four to five 
dollars per pound, and sometimes he gathered four and five 
pounds a week. He never cared anything for the hides, al- 
though they were worth more than the teeth. He said the 
alligators were more plentiful on Fish-eating Creek, but that 
their teeth were verv nuich inferior to tho.so from other places. 
Ou the Gulf Coast, he said, wa* the best place for real good 
teeth, and professed a preference for salt-water alligator*. 
Those that live in salt water, are of stouter build, and the hea<l 
is larger in proportion to the bod^', than that of the fresh wc- 
ter speciesl Some people claim that they are more ferocious 
than the others, but Ferguson didn't seem to think so. 

Ferguson was quite an expert at decoying alligat >rs 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 103 



within range of his gun. He had a way of barking, like a 
small dog, and when he commenced that, it was not long be- 
fore you could see their huge snouts sticking out of the water. 
Another way, was to take a little dog, or pig, in his arms, 
and twist its tail, so that it would yell, and attract the 
alligators. A screaming pig will excite the interest and atten- 
tion of any alligator, no matter how indolent or phlegmatic. 
Old Jimmie Yates said that he was hunting one spring morn- 
ing near Tohopekaliga, and had brought a young, fine-blooded 
dog with him. Coming to a deep, round pool, which formed 
a small bay in the lake, he commenced looking out for alliga- 
tors, which he knew were to be found in that place in laige 
quantities. The dog was a little too eager for the sport, and 
jumped into the water. Jimmie said he tried to call him back, 
but the dog was deaf to all remonstrance. When he had 
reached the middle of the pool, he began howling and strug- 
gling, and looked back appealingly to his master for help. In 
a few moments the dog disappeared and was seen no more. 
"Hit riled me awfully to see my purp gobbled down that-a- 
way," said old Jimmie, "and I laid for that 'gator. I wouldn't 
a-took the purtiest fifty dollar bill you ever saw, for that dog, 
and I jest says to myself, I am gom' to make them 'gators 
hop. And I did make 'em hop. I takes my leetlest puri), 
and I wrings and twists his tail untwel he hollers like as if he 
was a-bein' killed, and first thing I knowed, out popped the 
head of a whoppin' big 'gator. Then another one of the big 
black devils poked his sassy snoot out'n the water, and hit 
warn't no time 'fore the pond was teetotally covered with 'em. 
I never seen so many 'gators in the known world! I shot and 
shot and shot, untwel I was bodaciously out of breath, but I 
made them devils sweat. They eat up my purp (and I wouldn't 
a-took a brand-new fifty dollar bill for him,) but I everlast- 
in'ly peppered 'em for it." 



It would hardly do to dwell very long on this subject, 
without saying something about "Alligator Piatt," another 
hero. of the olden time, whose deeds were embalmed in the 
lore of Soutli Florida. Piatt' was not such a great hunter as 
Ferguson, but what he did, was done quickly and well, and 



104 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

there was some originality about his exploits, Joshua Creek 
is a branch of Pease, and flows near the town of Pine Level, 
in Manatee county. This creek was fairly alive with alliga- 
tors, and here it was that Alligator Piatt exerted his curious 
talents to the fullest extent. Creeping along under the pal- 
raettoes, to the bank of the creek, he peered into the amber- 
colored depths, and waited for a victim. When a rippling, 
swirling spot on the water betokened the presence of an alli- 
gator, he leaned over, and poised himself. The gator cau- 
tiously poked his snout, and then his entire head above the 
water, and looked around to see if an enemy was in sight. 
Perceiving no danger, he leisurely floated along on the sur- 
face, until he caught a glimpse of Piatt's red, excited face, 
and hurriedly proceeded to sink out of sight. Too late. Piatt 
was not going to let his glory as a hunter become overcast by 
any such a slip as that. He plunged into the water, and dived 
after the huge reptile. Those who stood by, anxiously awaited 
the reappearance of the man, and the immense whirls and 
swirls in the water where he went down, showed that he was 
quite busy below. In a very few moments, Piatt reappeared, 
in triumph, astride of the alligator, which he rode to the shore, 
like a horse. When once he got his thumbs into the alligators 
eyes, it was easily managed, and although it was nearly 
twelve feet long, no lamb could have been more gentle. Piatt 
said he could manage the very biggest of them this way, and 
he advised everybody to pursue that plan, when attacked by 
an alligator. 

Ned Beasley was another fellow who earned considerable 
reputation by his affection for alligators. It was told, for an 
actual fact, that Beasley was more alligator than human, and 
that he was so near cannibal in his tastes, that he frequently 
put up a barrel or two of 'gator meat, to be used in his house 
during the winter. He grew real fat and healthy, from in- 
dulging in this questionable diet, and often declared that no 
earthly delicacy could tempt him from a dish of 'gator stew. 
His chickens were fed on it, and grew to unheard-of propor- 
tions. The hogs and dogs, however, let it studiously alone. 
The chickens would congregate around the kettle where the 
oil was being ''rendered out," and wait for bits of the meat, 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLOEIDA. 105 

which Beaslev threw to them, after the oil had been extracted. 
And it was laughable to see those chickens (so it was 
said) as they staggered off into some shade to rest and sleep. 

Somebody asked Beasley, how he came to be so fond of 
alligator meat. "Well," he replied, "I'll tell you how it 
come about, and mebbe you won't believe it, and mebbe I 
don't keer, whutheryou believe it or not." With this ornate 
introduction, he proceeded to tell how and where he fell in 
love with 'gator meat. 

"Me and my ole dad was a workm' on a boat one time, 
and there was a whole lot of us fellers workin' together. 
There used to be a ole 'ummern as would come 'round every 
mornin' and sell fried fish to us, for breakfast. Gosh, but 
didn't them there fish go good! 'Feared like they jist slipped 
down by theirselves. Finerly, the ole 'ummern brung a fish 
around one mornin', that beat anything I ever hearn tell of. 
I never seed sich a fish in the known world ! She had it fried 
in meal and pepper, and it was so big that she had it strapped 
on a piece of fence-rail, so she could lug it on her shoulder. 
V/hen we was a-eatin of it, we axed the ole critter whur she 
cotch it, and she tole us hit was cotch down on the Ellifiars," 
(the Alafia river) "and when we axed her what breed offish it 
was, she said it was somethin' like a trout, only hit eat a heap 
better. And hit shore did go mighty good. Dad 'lowed he 
never had, in all his born days, seen a fish with sich a big 
back-bone. (You see, that 'ere fish's back-bone was every bit 
as big as my arm.) And he said hit was mighty cur'ous that 
there wan't no ribs, nor no little bones in it, and he'd be 
blowed if he seed any sense in the thing, nohow, and he said 
he wan't a-gwine to swaller nary another bite, untwel he 
knowed what he was a-eatin. (After all the meat he'd gob- 
bled down!) Finerly, the ole witch tole us we'd been 
a-eatin' 'gator-tail for breakfast ! You jist orter a-seed them 
there fellers makin' for the edge of the boat, with their fingers 
in their throats, a-strainin' and a-groanin' like as if they was 
distracted. But all their cuttin' up didn't do no good ; the 
'gator was down, and hit was a-gwine to stay down. They 
couldn't throw it up to save their lives. Dad was for givin' 



106 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



the ole 'ummern a good duckin', but I wouldn't have no sich 
doin's; 'sides, you see I kinder liked the truck, anyway, and 
dad had already said he'd seen a heap wuss meat in his time. 
Dad said he might a-knoived hit wan't fitten to eat, by hit's 
not havin' no ribs, nor no bones, but a whalin' big back-bone. 
The ole 'ummern never come foolin' around our boat no 
more, and even now, dad hain't got no use for no kind of 
fish." 

Beasley delighted in palming off alligator meat on his 
guests, telling them it was corned beef, "jist in from Fulton 
Market." After the feast was over, it was very funny to him, 
to see the expression on the men's faces, \then he told them 
what they had been eating. 

I have no idea what Ferguson is doing now, and I can 
not say whether Piatt and Beasley are alive yet, or not. 
But Alligator Ferguson, Alligator Piatt and "ditto," Beasley 
will always remain as monuments of example to those to 
whom dog and gun are sacred. "Uncle" Jimmie Yates is 
enjoying a hearty old age, surrounded by children and grand- 
children. If you were to pay Jimmie a visit, he would take 
you out in his grove and insist on your feasting on some 
of his oranges. Then he would probably give you a greater 
treat than all — one of his Indian stories. A written account 
or these things interests some people, but it is incomparably 
better to hear it from the lips of the old heroes who went 
through it all. And nobody can be more entertaining than 
Uncle Jimmie. Should you ever visit Kissimmee, you would 
do well to call on him. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 107 



CHAPTER VIII. 

SOME OF THE CURIOUS AND INTERESTING INHABITANTS OF THE 
INDIAN RIVER REGION. 

If, in any of tliese statements, you think I have painted 
"things that are not, as though they were," and given to 
"airy nothings a local habitation and a name," why, of 
course, you have a right to investigate. But I will again say 
that I have started out to tell the truth, (regardless of the dif- 
ficulties and temptations involved,) for, if my conscience 
should wear out, there would be plenty of old stagers arountl 
the State, who would be ready to let me (and others) know, 
if I strayed from the path of veracity. Now, with this ex- 
planation, here goes. 

Didn't I promise a description of the celebrated stingaree ? 
Nobody that has ever been to Indian river, is considered 
up with the times, unless he has seen this king of aquatic 
nuisances. We will, in imagination (and with your consent), 
translate you from your cosy home, to the coquina banks of 
Indian river. The time of the year is July — a time when 
you can get a good idea of mid-summer life in this region. 
Now you make a discovery ; there are mosquitoes ! You ask 
me why I didn't mention that fact before ; and I comfort you 
by the explanation that I thought it would be a source of more 
satisfaction to both of us, if I left you to make the discovery 
yourself. But, after all, there are not so many of the little 
vampires, as you think ; the shrill cry and bold advances of 
the few that encircle your head, give you the impression that 
the country is alive with them. But even if that were the 



108 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

case, there are so many other things of beauty, that you will 
forget the little ruinne singers. If we go out yonder on the 
bosom of the river, I can show you something new, that for 
pure, unadultered cussedness and curiosity, is unexcelled. 

If I were a poet I would try to make you forget the mos- 
quitoes, by raving about the sunset ; how the reflections of 
the palms in the painted waters are broken up and twisted 
into a million augers and corkscrews, by the night breeze 
that is springing up ; and would point to the whippoorwill, or 
bull-bat, sweep downward almost to the water, with a croak 
that is echoed down the river. But we are on the lookout for 
stingarees, and must give them our undivided attention. The 
water beneath us is clear, and we can see the curious creatures 
crawling and walking on the bottom; we see horse-shoe crabs, 
sea-porcupines, tarpons, saw-fish, sharks, and many other 
things very distinctly, and they don't seem to be very much 
afraid of us. Hold! don't get excited, that isn't a stingaree, 
that's only a poor, harmless "bishop;" he looks ugly enough, 
with his tawney hide, with white spots on him, and his eyes 
are both on the top of his head, about as close as they can be, 
and he looks like he wanted to raise a row with somebody, 
but he won't hurt you. Now if you want to see a stingaree; 
look right ahead. You can't see him very well, he darts about 
so actively ; so when he is speared and brought into the boat, 
he serves our purposes better. This is a small specimen — 
only three feet long. 

The body, in such a specimen, is about one foot across, 
and nearly round. It is slate-colored, and three inches through 
in the deepest part. On each side, it slopes to a thin edge, a 
flapping motion of which impels them forward. The tail is 
round, an inch in diameter, tapering to the size of a lead pen- 
cil, and has a rough, gristly surface. The eyes are situated 
about three inches from the nose, and are close together, small 
and wicked-looking. Its mouth is underneath the front part 
of the bod}', and it don't have any teeth worth speaking of. 
But the peculiarity which gives the stingaree such importance, 
is the sting. It ornaments that part of the back, where the 
tail joins the body, is hard and bony, tapering to a very fine 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 109 

(oiat, and is covered with sharp fibres, which point down- 
ward, so that it is very difficult to extract from a wound. A 
ting on such a specimen is four inches long, and it is able to 
nflict a very painful wound, which is a long time in healing. 
\n irritating substance, secreted by this barb, which, while 
lever fatal, (as far as I know) is often productive of evil re- 
uks, such as marasmus and chronic ulcers. 

You can wade about among them, where they are swarm- 
ng as thick as leaves in autumn, but they w^ill never try to" 
larm you, if you don't step on them, for they are not aggres 
ive. 

The whipparee is very much like the stingaree. The only 
iifference is that the tail is somewhat longer, and the sting is 
acking. The tail is very tough and pliable, and is often used 
IS a buggy whip, and as such, will stand many years of hard 
>ervice. I imagine that you shiver, when I remark that these 
lideous creatures are very often eaten. No, the people don't 
jat the whole animal ; the thin edges of the body — commonly 
:alled "wings" — are the only parts that are considered fit to 
iat. I sampled this luxury once, and although I managed to 
nirvive it, I wasn't troubled with any ambition to try it again, 
[t tasted a little weak and fishy, and after indulging in a dish 
Df stingaree, my digestive apparatus was afflicted with a pe- 
:uliar "ever-present goneness," neither to be imagined or de- 
scribed. Where there is such a boundless wealth of fish and 
fowl that are really delicious eating, I would advise no one to 
bother with stingarees. They should be the dernier ressort — 
the last dodge of a starving hound. With this, I drop the 
stingaree subject, as one not pleasant to handle. 

The sharks of Indian river are not very dangerous, and 
if a man falls overboard, I don't think he need fear that he 
will make a Jonah of himself. The shark of Indian river, 
according to the account of persons who ought to know, does 
not possess the dignity of the white shark which follows in the 
wake of ships, and has to turn on its back before it can bite. 
They say that the Indian river shark has a mean way of slip- 
ping up behind a man that is wading, and nipping as big a 



110 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

23iece as he can out of the calf of the man's leg, generally 
disappearing with his prize before the surprised and startled 
individual can make any remonstrance. I hardly credit this, 
but I have heard some pretty well founded stories of men 
having been killed and eaten by the sharks in Indian River In- 
let. But don't be scared, for if ycy.i will only be half-way 
careful, you will never die by a shark. 

Titled peers and noblemen, from all parts of Europe, 
were once as plentiful on Indian river as you please, but 
either on account of the disappearance of game, or a compli- 
cation of interesting affairs at home, they are not so common 
no\vada3^s in that region. The pink curlew, or roseate spoon- 
bill, is not esteemed at all as an article of food, but its splen- 
did plumage causes it to be an object of great value to the 
hunter. A roseate spoonbill, captured alive, sometimes sells 
for a hundred dollars. Snowy egrets, blue herons, and ducks 
of several kinds, were once to be found here "world without 
end." Anything richer and more succulent, in the line of 
game, than the young teals, widgeons and grease-ball ducks, 
one cannot well imagine. If they had not been so wantonly 
destroyed, regardless of breeding seasons and everything else, 
it would still be a sportsman's paradise; as it now is, a man 
can find a good deal of sport, but in a great measure, the 
glory of former days has departed. There are still plenty of 
water turkeys, purple gallinules and blue herons. But the 
"Johnnie gogglin" is worthy of a little special mention. This 
great bird, which is also called the "whooper," stands, when 
full grown, nearly five feet high, and when it takes its flight 
through the pine woods, greeting the rising sun with a clear, 
trilling cry that resounds through the still morning air, it will 
always command the attention of the hunter. The flesh of 
the gogglin is very much like venison. The black-winged 
curlew, or "flint-head," whose bills are so ponderous that 
they cannot hold their heads erect, and many other interest- 
ing things might be described, but it would take too long. 

The mullet that are caught here, in the middle of 
September, are the fattest fish I ever saw. I have seen rolls 
of fat fully an inch thick in many of these fish. I was once 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. Ill 



present when a haul was made, on a seine in Indian river, 
where ten men found it impossible to raise it. After rais- 
ing the foot-line and letting out about fifty barrels of the 
mullet, the rest were secured. AVords cannot describe the 
delicious tenderness of these fish when first caught. But the 
highest luxury, in the way of an eatable, that I know of, 
is a pompano. This fish is by no means common, and, al- 
though the largest specimens hardly ever measure more 
than twelve inches in length, they sell for no less than 
twenty-five cents apiece, and command a ready sale at that 
price. They are more plentiful on the west coast than the east. 
Then we have the drum, that grunts like a hog ; the grouper, 
the red-snapper, and the saw-fish, which often attains a length 
of eighteen feet. These great fish sometimes get entangled 
in the turtle-nets, and at such times, are dangerous to ap- 
proach. I have seen the fishermen cautiously come up 
alongside of the saw-fish, in a boat, and, with a blow of a 
heavy, sharp ax, sever the long, serrate snout, cutting it off 
near the eyes. Of course, the fish could not live long, af- 
ter such treatment. 

I will conclude this chapter by telling a story I once 
heard, on James Russell, who is still holding forth on In- 
dian river, I believe at Fort Capron. Now, it was alleged 
that Jim and three others went out into a dry willow 
marsh, where a great many alligator-holes were to be found. 
(In dry seasons, these holes have no water in them, and 
are generally tenanted by alligators of medium size. 
There are more of these "dry-holes" around Southport than 
any other place I ever saw.) Jim carried a rope with him, 
but the most persistent questioning failed to reveal his pur- 
pose in carrying it, until the field of future conflict was 
reached. The hole was two feet across, and when Jim 
slapped the side of the cavity, a loud hissing, coming out of 
the dark depths, told that there was a 'gator down there. 
Jim Russell fastened one end of the rope around his waist, 
and in tones that could not be misunderstood, commanded 
the men to hold the other end, while he descended and laid 
hold on the reptile. "And," he added, "when I say 'haul 
away,' yoxi haul/' So saying, he crawled into the hole. 



112 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

Louder and fiercer became the hissing, and a churning sound 
betokened the alligator's efforts to hide himself trom the 
enemy. Jim's boots disappeared into the darkness, and soon 
a faint, smothered ''Haul away!" told that Mr. Russell had 
secured his prize, and desired a whiff of fresh air. The al- 
ligator was evidently in close quarters, and the musk of his 
anger, rising from the hole, mingled with a murmur of cuss- 
words, told that the struggle was nearing a crisis. The men 
pulled until the}' "saw stars," and at last they brought the 
weary, pantnig pair to the surface. Jim was muddy, and the 
rope had pinched him in the waist considerably, but he had 
his alliirator. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 113 



CHAPTER IX. 

A FEW WORDS ABOUT PHELPS, THE KING OF BEAK-HLNTERS, 
AND HIS INTERESTING COMPANIONS. 

If ever a man deserved the surname of Nimrod, it was 
that man Phelps. His very soul seemed to leap within him, 
at the thought or suggestion of a chase after big game ; bear 
was his favorite game. He had roamed with Fremont over 
the Rocky mountains, and caused countless grizzlies to tum- 
ble down the canyons in a death struggle ; even the mountain 
eagle, wheeling around his eyrie among the beetling crags, 
and looking down "a thousand fathoms' depth of neter air," 
was not safe from his rifle, for his climbing powers were equal 
to his marksmanship. But evidently, the transition from the 
rugged cliffs of the Rocky Mountains to the quiescent lakes 
and level stretches of Florida hammock and pine woods did 
not betoken a wane in his ambition as a sportsman. He 
found the alligator a rather cowardly citizen, and the bear of 
the Indian river hammocks was tame indeed when compared 
with the £frizzly, but its flesh was better, and in eating it, he 
grew so robust and jolly that he never looked back on the old 
scenes with regret. 

I met him in 1854, about the time his fame began to 
spread in the Indian River region. In those days, you could 
hardly leave your house for ten minutes, without encountering 
a deer or bear. The old cow-hunters of the surrounding 
country considered themselves "tip-top" at bear-slaying, but 
they all acknowledged the superiority of Phelps. They told 
some great stores of his extraordinary skill in that line ; said 
that he could take aim and kill a bear a hundred yards distant. 



114 SCENES IN SOUTH FLOKIDA. 

simply by sound, the darkest night that ever came, and some 
were ready to swear that he was in the habit of following 
trails by scent, as well as any of his dogs. Everybody knew 
or felt that he was something great, and I, among others, was 
anxious to make his acquaintance. 

We came upon him in a hammock one day, surrounded 
by his dogs, and eating bear meat. The dogs looked hun- 
grily at us, and beat their tails on the ground, but a word 
from their master appeased them. (They were fearful 
beasts.) Phelps came forward and invited us to the feast; 
an offer Avhich was accepted with gratitude, if not with eti- 
quette. Taking our seats on the mossy trunk of a fallen li\e 
oak, and seizing each a bone, draped in fat, tender flesh, we 
made a most hearty meal, a la cracairc. Our host was glad 
to have met lis ; his eyes lighted up, and he looked gleeful at 
the prospect of having an audience for his latest bear tales. 
For, next to hunting and eating that lordly game, he liked to 
tell of his exploits. I wish I could recall one of these yarns ; 
I am sure it would astonish and amuse you. 

Phelps was clothed in raiment ot cotton, dyed with the 
bark of the red mangrove. (This gives cloth a beautiful pur- 
plish brown color, and when treated with a mordant like alum 
or copperas, will hardly ever fade. Some long-headed Yan- 
kee may yet find his fortune in red mangrove bark. If he 
wants to try it, he can find any amount of the raw material 
around the south coast.) His hunting shirt had been rendered 
perfectly water-proof by the oil from the fat bear meat which 
he was in the habit of carrying on his shoulders, and his long, 
black hair shone with a fine lustre, from the same cause. 
Sickness, to him, was a myth, and medicine an insult ; while 
he could imbibe liberal draughts of sweet, limpid bear oil, 
what cared he for wind or weather? 

His dogs were not less remarkable than their owner. 
There were five of them, and the features of the bloodhound 
seemed to predominate. Phelps had procured them from Cap- 
tain Douglass Dummitt, of orange grove fame, and trained 
them himself. Like most dogs of this breed, they were si- 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 115 

lently ferocious, and seemed ever to yearn for a victim ; they 
were all formidable, but Rowdy, the leader, was simply a ter- 
ror. I looked on him very much as a rabbit looks on a big 
cat. Those watchful eyes of his seemed never to close, and 
his jaws dropped just enough to show [an armory of teeth as 
cruel as Cerberus, and as relentless as death itself. He was 
white, with black spots. Our hero was well provided with de- 
fenders, but not the least of his possessions was his rifle, 
which he called "Ruin." He purchased Ruin from Captain 
Miles Burnham, who had it made to order in New York, at a 
considerable outlay, and it was the most perfect weapon of the 
kind then ni use. 

In the evening, after he had finished the most important 
task of the day — the supper of bear's flesh and palm-buds — he 
laid himself to rest, as if no company was present. Under- 
neath a palmetto shed, be unfolded and hung up his forty 
yards of mosquito netting, and extended himself on the soft 
Mackinaw blankets he had brought from the Rocky Moun- 
tains. Then, raising the netting a little, he called each dog — 
Rowdy first, and then the others, and they came, just as their 
names were called, and took their places around their master. 
Then, with the invincible Ruin nestling by his side, he drifted 
off into a dim, shadowy land, where bears were as plentiful as 
mosquitoes, and much easier killed. With those sleepless 
sentinels aroimd him, I cannot imagine what he had to fear. 
Such a cordon of watchers might make a night's sleep in an 
East India jungle, one of security and peace. And you may 
rightly judge that those dogs received good treatment. Every 
morning they received a liberal allowance of hominy and bear 
oil, together with what bits of meat they wanted. Phelps as- 
sured me that he would sooner go hungry any time, than see 
his dogs suffer for something to eat. "The man that strikes 
a dog of mine, strikes me," was a frequent remark with him. 
What an expression! As if that man could be found, who 
would dare such a thing! It would have been strictly a per- 
sonal matter between the man and the dog, to be settled in a 
very short time, to the decided detriment of the former. 

Usually, a bear is not of a very agressive turn of mind, but 



lU; SOKNKS IN SiU'Tll FLOKIPA. 



1 hoard soinothinji- onco, which j;avc mo a different opinion. 
Pholps, Jun Kussoll and Capt. Davis woro russtioating on Lake 
W'ortli, and thov had touml a tino oampino- spot. Boar 
sii^ns woro alnnuhmt, and tho ontlook for a hn^o rnn of sport 
was \ orv onconrai^ini;-. Tho dav was spont in tnakinj;- all pos- 
siblo proparations tor tho hnnt noxt niornini:^. (It was thoir in- 
tontion to tnrn out boforo day broak iu tho niornin*;-, and snr- 
priso tho boars whilo thoy woro nappini;;.) l.ato in tho attor- 
noon, tho party wont on a rcoonniMtring tour, so as to bo well 
posted whon tho chase was bo^un in tho niornini::. It was 
sonio tinio attor dark whon thoy roturnod to suppor. While 
thoy woro oatinji". thoy heart! heavy steps approachinji". and 
before they conld utter a word, a huge boar strode into the 
camp. "Not a nuMuont stopped or stayed ho." to ask per- 
mission of tho proprietors, but walked right into their midst, 
almost brushing- against one of the men and rushed at a 
dog \\ ho was sitting near by. That startled animal, tiuding 
himself decidedly at a disadvantage, took to his heels, with 
the bear in hot pursuit. Round the camp they went, and the 
men stood stock-still, gazing at the strange spectacle in pov,- 
erless and speeehless amazement. Finall}', Jim Russell 
rushed down to the boats, whieh Avere on the margin of Lake 
Worth, about two hundred yards away, where the guns had 
been left. Before he returned, the big beast had vanished, 
and nothing could bo done, but quietly sit down and tinish 
their supper. Jim Russell — who is still living on Lidian 
river — said he never could aceount for this strange freak, and 
thinks it is tho only case of that kind ovor known. 

Our hero's tales of triumph and adventure wore numer- 
ous and varied, but his favorite theme was his encounter with 
••Old Slewfoot." a botvr of prodigious dimensions, that had 
tantaft/od the old hunters in that region for years, appearing 
at intervals, and giving them a glimpse of a huge back and 
shoulders, only to fade awav into tho recesses of Pepper Ham- 
mock, where the utmost efforts of his pursuers failed to reveal 
his hiding-place. This hammock took its name from the 
wild pepper, which grew there in great abundance. Old 
iSlewfoot once had a tight with a panther, and bore a memento 
of the conflict on his left fore-foot, which had turned ••woppor- 



.scI':nrs in south Florida. 



jawed," and made a track easily recognized by all who had 
heard of him, and gained him the name above mentioned. 

To kill Old Slewfoot became the dearest ambition of 
Phelps' life. Creeping under the palmetto, in the sombre 
shades of the hammock, morning and evening, enduring the 
bites of mosquitoes, red-bugs anrl seed-ticks, with his trusty 
hounds along with him, he hunted the old veteran for two 
months. One morning, the bell-like tones of his big dog 
Rowdy waked him to the sense of something important. 
Hastily slipping on his moccasins, (it was about daybreak) he 
slung Ruin across his shoulder, and ran toward his dogs, who 
were creating a fearful racket in the hammock, two or three 
hundred yards away. "If they've treed him — if they have 
treed him!" was his only thought, as he rushed along. 

Yes, Old Slewfoot was in close quarters. The dogs were 

all around him, and Rowdy was about to reach his throat, 

when old Ruin delivered a message in lead and flame that 

imade the cool morning air quiver for miles, and the great an- 

mal reared and fell at a conqueror's feet, never again to roam 

through the shady hammock. The voice in which each old 

hunter congratulated Phelps on this exploit was tinged just a 

ittle with envy, for they all imagined that the bear was their 

lawful prey, and had a kind of idea that no interloper should 

take such advantages. But when the time of feasting came, 

each old worthy enjoyed a good quantity of the meat. Thus 

did Old Slewfoot find, at last, a warm place in the hearts (and 

stomachs) of those ivho had been his bitterest enemies. And 

Phelps understood just how^ to cook bear meat, if any body 

did. 

Let me tell you of a favorite dish of his, and then 1 will 
close. You know, a great many people throw away the feet 
of a bear. Well, Phelps didn't. After cleaning them thor- 
oughly, he boiled them in plain water for two or three hours ; 
then he would stew them up some way with onions and palm 
buds, and you couldn't, for the life of you, tell what kind of 
meat it resembled ; but you knew one thing — but few delica 
cies were equal to it. If I had that dish for dinner every day 
now, I would undoubtedly be a healthier (and probably a bet, 
ter and wiser) man. 



SCENKS IN SOUTH FLOKIDA. HI) 



CHAPTER X. 

<iIVlN<i MV READERS MV IMPRESSION OF THE FLORIDA KEYS 
A SOJOURN WITH I'KOF. CURTISS. 

"When you take up a map of Florida, one of the objects 
which strikes your attention, is a lon<^ row of little dots, for 
islands extendin<^ in a long, obliciue i^roup, around the south- 
ern extremity of Florida, j^raced with innumerable names, 
each \\ith a "Key" attached to it. These are known as the 
Florida Keys, and many who have never visited them, are of- 
ten heard to ask wliat the keys consist of, and want to know 
''what they are good for." My object in writing this chapter 
is to answer these queries. 

In the year 1880, Professor A. H. Curtiss was detailed, 
by the Department of the Interior, to obtain a complete col- 
lection of Southern woods, and it was my good fortune to be 
able to act as guide for him, on this important trip. On the 
morning of the 6th of May, we started out from Key West, 
in a sail boat, and headed for Boca Chica. After a sail of 
two or three hours, we landed on the Key, and prepared a 
camp. The Professor had invited Mr. Ashmead, of Jack- 
sonville, to accompany him, and as we had made every con- 
ceivable preparation for the journey, before leaving Key West> 
there was nothing to put a damper on our spirits. The after- 
noon was spent in exploring the island and gathering plants. 
The soil was very rich, covered with sea-grape, wild sappa- 
dillo and dog-wood trees, and vines. There did not seem a 
verv promising field for collecting specimens, so we made our 



120 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

visit as short as possible. The Professor was desirous of 
reaching a locality where specimens were more abundant, and 
the scenes which lay ahead were looked forward to with 
pleasant anticipations. Our time, which had not been limited 
or fixed by any arbiter, must nevertheless be put to the very 
best possible use, and we hastened onward, actuated by a de- 
sire to seek out the habitat of all the forest trees, common and 
uncommon, that were to be looked for in this sunny latitude. 

Next mornuig we "weighed anchor" and proceeded on 
our journey. The morning was calm and bright, and the 
breezes still slumbered on the waters, which lay unruffled be- 
fore us, shaded by the reflections of the trees on hundreds of 
little islands or keys, behind, before and around us. Of course 
we made rather slow progress, and until a slight breeze sprang 
up, I was afraid we would do nothing at all that day. We 
drifted idly among the keys, and did not pass them rapidly 
enough to prevent an examination of some of their peculiar- 
ities. Occasionally a column of smoke, arising from a solid 
phalanx of banana and lime trees, showed that the key was 
inhabited. On the shore, a deer foccasionally jumped into 
sight and then disappeared in the bushes, about the time a 
discussion was begun as to the propriety of stopping and hav- 
ing some sport as well as venison. The usual size of these 
smaller keys, was about a mile, and sometimes we encoun- 
tered some containing no more than forty acres, while others 
were many hundred acres in extent. The width of these cu- 
rious bodies of land was never equal to the length ; in many 
cases, a key two miles long was scarcely a half mile wide, 
and covered almost entirely with lime-rocks. Around the 
borders was a dense growth of mangrove and button-wood, 

which often hid the interior of the island from view. 

t 

Buttonwood makes better fuel than any wood I ever saw. 
A log of buttonwood, set on fire at one end, will burn to 
ashes before the fire goes out, and generates an intense heat 
The wood is collected on the keys and shipped to Key West, 
where it brings from five to seven dollars a cord ; it is about 
the only fuel used there. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 121 



That evening we landed at Little Pine Key, something 
near fifteen miles from Boca Chica. We stopped here, sim- 
ply as a matter of necessity, for the island was little else but 
a long, irregular pile of lime-rocks, covered sparsely with pine 
trees of small stature. To the west, about three miles away, 
we could see Big Pine Key, with its tall pines and mangrove 
thickets. These are the only ke3's on which pines are found. 

On that morning we were favored with a fine breeze, and 
it did not take us long to reach Knight's Key, and all day, 
we wound in and out, among the archipelago of keys which 
stretched in every direction, as far as we could see. 

At lo o'clock next morning, we came to Matacomba Key, 
and were given a cordial welcome by Messrs. Binder and 
Sanders, and it may be easily imagined that we were glad to 
find ourselves among human being once more. Matacomba 
was two miles long, and not much more than one-fourth of a 
mile wide, bordered with a beautiful white sandy beach. As 
usual, the soil was rocky, and it was a source of continual 
surprise to me, that such luxuriant forests could grow on land 
like this. Not only forest trees, but many varieties of semi- 
tropical fruits and flowers, made themselves perfectly at home 
in this halcyon spot ; well might they lift their heads fearlessly 
into the warm, brine-laden air, for no modicum of frost ever 
reached their home, and the tenderest exotic might never find 
its ambitions checked by an unkindly blast. 

Our newly-found friends spared no effort to make our 
visit a pleasant one, and it was with much interest and pleas- 
ure that we inspected their gardens of tropical fruits. Here, 
indeed, was the ver}^ home of the pine- apple. At that time, 
they had made but a modest beginning, but since then, I have 
heard that they have made some immense shipments in the 
last year or two. The manner of cultivation was peculiar. 
No hoe could be used, on account of the extreme shallowness 
of the soil. The truth of the matter is, that the ground could 
not be stirred, for fear of its being blown away, and leaving 
nothing but the bare rock. But you could not throw a plant 
down without its taking: root, so favorable were the conditions 



122 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

for growth. The plants were set out about eighteen inches 
apart, and then left mainly to themselves. One weeding was 
considered sufficient, and the soil was not stirred at all. The 
severe droughts that prevail on the Florida Keys, at times, do 
not affect the pineapples very seriously. Indeed, I have been 
led to believe that they are more than half air-plants ; lately, 
the botanists have established a very palpable relationship be- 
tween the air-plant, long-moss, and pineapple, and that is one 
point in favor of my theory. At any rate, I have always 
noticed that they grow much better on dry soil than in a damp 
situation. 

I doubt if the Professor or Mr. Ashmead had ever before 
enjoyed such an abundant and protracted feast of pineapples, 
and I, (Floridian that I am,) can truthfully say that I had 
never eaten so much of the luscious fruit. Sappadillo, pa- 
paw, and sugar apple trees were loaded with young fruit, and 
it was quite tantalizing, to reflect that we were there too early 
in the season to enjoy any of the ripe fruit. We consoled our- 
selves, however, with looking for specimens. Before I leave 
the subject of fruit-growing on this key, I wish to say a little 
about the cultivation of bananas, etc. 

On different portions of the island were little patches of 
deep soil, called by the inhabitants, "red-holes." These cu- 
rious spots are from fifteen to thirty feet in diameter, and take 
their name from the peculiar reddish color of the soil con- 
tained in them. Scarcel}^ any rocks are found in these spots, 
and the fruit-growers select them on that account, as a place 
to plant bananas and tropical fruit-trees. Dwarf bananas are 
the only kind grown to any extent on this key, and, although 
the plants are of low stature, the heads aix very large, and 
sometimes are so long that the}' touch the ground. These 
red-holes are not found on every key. and are valued highly 
by the planters. 

For nine daj'S we remained on Matacomba, and the ax 
was kept bus}-, and our negro, Dave, displayed great energ}- 
in felling the trees, under the professor's directions. Here 
we found fine specimens of prince-wood, crab-wood, lignum 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 123 

vitte, torch-wood, and Madeira- wood. Torch-wood is al- 
most as fine-scented as sandal-wood, and is very inflam- 
mable. Crab-wood, which finds its way to Northern mar- 
kets in the shape of walking-canes, was found here in abund- 
ance. The wood is valuable, and is worth at least fifty dollars 
a cord, notwithstanding the fact that it was being used for 
fuel on this key. It would weary the reader to give the name 
and description of each tree we saw at this place, and I will 
content myself with the remark that on no other key, did we 
find a greater variety of woods. 

The nine days of our sojourn at Matacomba were calcu- 
lated to remain as bright spots on the memory of the three 
principal actors in the affair, and we were really sorry to turn 
our backs on this lovely, sequestered spot. It seemed to 
us, that we had seen the garden-spot, and that the coming 
scenes would prepare us for disappointment. A certain sub- 
tle, inexplicable air of comfort and content about the place, 
had not failed of its effect upon us, and in reviewing the 
favorable features of the surroundings, I almost forgot the 
charms of Indian river. But the voice of duty reminded us 
that we must seek new fields, and extend our investigation 
aii'ong the semi-tropical forests. 

Plantation Key next received our attention. But a brief 
glance in the interior showed us that the prospects for a new 
collection were not flattering. The main objects of interests 
"were Mr. Low's pineapple field and cocoanut grove. Here 
we saw thirty acres planted in pineapples, covering the ground 
completely, and gay with ripening fruit. Ah, wasn't that a 
spicy breeze, that saluted us, when we landed? Sated, as we 
were with the fruit we had eaten at Matacomba, we still 
could not help enjoying the rich fragrance of the breeze that 
swept that precious expanse of green, purple and gold. The 
crop that year was coming on finely, and Mr. Low was count- 
ing on cutting at least eight thousand dozen pineapples. 

Pleasant as the prospect was, we could not stop, and 
soon, the green island with its long colonnades of palms was 
left behind, and our sail filled with a noble breeze, which bore 



124 SCKNKS IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



lis in the tlircc'tiou of Key Largo. At the key, we formed 
the acquahitance of Mr. Baker, one of the tirst men wlio ever 
thought of raising pineapples on the keys. This is more than 
t\\ ice as hirge as any other key, being twenty-five miles long, 
and averaging nearly half a mile in width. "Largo," in 
Spanish, signifies "long," and the name fits this key very 
well. 

Key Largo was well timbered, bnt as tliere was no pros- 
pect of finding anv new specimens, our stay was short. Two 
days afterward, we reached the Indian hunting-grounds, on 
Biscayne Bav. This was my second visit to this wonderful re- 
gion, and wo all entered it with pleasant anticipations. I was 
no*^ going into an entirely strange land, for I was sure of 
meeting INIr. John Addison, an old-time friend of mine whom 
I IkhI known for thirty years. The first thing we did was to 
penetrate the dense green wall of hammock which rose up be- 
fore us. Here, indeed, was a lavish wealth of pure, undcfiled 
nature ; huge trees of gumbolimbo, red-stopper and mastic 
towered awaj- above us, and the graceful trunks of innumer- 
able palms met our eyes on either side. A strange, but not 
unpleasant odor was exhaled from the ground, where centu- 
ried logs and leaves from spicy tropical trees were moulder- 
ing into dust. We found a tree, which, I believe, could not 
have been found anywhere else in Florida. This was the so- 
called paradise tree — a lovel}' specimen of the vegetable king- 
dom. It was forty feet high, covered with a wide spreading 
crown of leaves, of a delicate, sea-green tint, which gave the 
tree an extremely handsome appearance. When we found 
this tree, the berries were just ripening, and we were deprived 
of the opportunity of seeing the flowers. Judging from the 
descriptions of those who were well acquainted with the par- 
adise-tree, the Howers must be marvelously beautiful. 

We found John Adilison snugly hidden away in this ham- 
mock, with liis ilwelling almost hidden from sight by a grove 
of fine banana plants. Frost was unknown, at tins place. 
On Vtldison's farm, we saw the finest of sugar-cane and Ja- 
maica arrowroot growing. No orange trees were to be seen, 
but limes and lemons were doing well. (It is a curious, but 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 125 



undisputed fact, that orange trees can not be grown on the 
Florida Keys, nor on such land as the Indian Hunting 
Ground. Unsuccessful attempts have been made, to raise them 
in these places, but the rock which underlies the soil prevents 
the tap-root from penetrating deep enough. And you 
very seldom see a cow about the Hunting Grounds. The old 
settlers say that there is some poisonous grass growing in the 
woods, which kills the cattle. A cow is very seldom seen on 
the Florida Keys. But there are so many good points about 
this part of the country, that you would be well satisfied to 
forego cattle and oranges.) 

I don't remember how many new varieties of woods we 
found here ; there was the red and black-stopper, the blolly- 
tree, and the cocoa-plum, the "puU-and-haul-baek," — a 
thorny tree or vine, whatever you may call it, for it partakes 
of the nature of both — and the rubber trees. Dave served us 
faithfully and he and his ax were potent agents in getting to- 
gether one of the most complete collections of forest trees ever 
made in this or any other country. Dave made the chips fly 
with a zeal that reflected great credit on his race, but there 
was one time when he refused to obey commands. And that 
time, he had a pretty good reason for it. It was when we 
were on Boca Chica, and it was a manchineel tree, that ex- 
cited Dave's fears. After listening to a description of the ter- 
rible properties of this tree, Dave swore that we might ask any 
other duty of him, but that he would not touch that manchi- 
neel for anything. He described, with a shiver, the dire con- 
sec[uences attendant upon cutting the tree ; one stroke of the 
ax, he said, would be sufficient; the milk, which is found in 
this tree, in great abundance, would be scattered over him, 
and everywere a drop fell, there would be a frightful sore. 
The manchineel is terribly poison, but not so bad as Dave be- 
lieved. 

We divided our time between the Hunting Grounds and 
Miami, and stayed in that region about ten days. Before we 
left, we secured the greater part of the collection. While at 
the Hunting Grounds (which didn't very well deserve its name, 
for game was by no means over-abundant,) we were aston- 



120 SCENES IN SOUTH FLOKIDA. 

ished at the springs, which burst up in the salt water, near 
the beach. Truly, thev were wonderful. Wading out twen- 
tv-tive or thirty yards from the shore, we could see the fresh- 
water springs rippling up through the brine, and we tried some 
of the water, to see how it tasted. Knocking out both heads 
of a barrel, we placed it around a spring, and carefully bailed 
the salt water out. Soon the barrel was half full of cool, 
sweet drinking water. There were a great many of these 
springs, and some of them were of quite a good size. I do 
not remember haying seen anything like it, before or since, and 
am inclined to belieye that it is a first-class curiosity. 

We made arrangements with a man to carry the speci- 
mens to Key West, and then journeyed to the Gulf coast, 
where the collection was completed. We had gathered to- 
gather forty-four distinct varieties of South Florida woods. 
"NVe were three months on tht- tviyi. and came back with the 
consciousness of haying seen a great deal of Florida, and it 
was just the impression made on me by this trip, that led me 
to w rite an account of it. My compognons du voyage ha^•e 
each giyen their impressions to the world, and I lune tried 
to do the same. Five years have elapsed since the journey 
was made, and the visitor, now. would have to remember 
that, about the time he thought of taking me to task for some 
apparent discrepancy between my description and the coun- 
ti'v as it appears to him. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 127 



CHAPTER XL 

A SHOUT DESCRIPTION OF SCME OF THE TROPICAL FRUITS WHICH 
FIXD A HOME IN FLORIDA. 

'"The tropical fruits of Florida!" "What a nameless 
charm invests this subject, for the denizen of a colder region, 
in whose imaj^-ination these children of the southland exist 
only as a dream ! But the thrill of enthusiasm awakened by 
the contemplation of these unseen glories must, in a consid- 
erable measure, fade in presence of reality. That is, you 
must prepare yourself for disappointment, if you expect the 
fruits and flowers of paradise on an earthly soil. The fruits I 
am about to describe, are objects of interest mainly on^ ac- 
count of their rarity in this country, and partly as an unde- 
veloped source of I'evenue to the State. 

Accounts of tropical fruits are as often exaggerated as 
fish or alligator stories. I read a dime novel once (reader, 
it was a good while ago ; that's mj'^ only excuse) — I think 
Wild-cat Ned, the Bloodhungry Prince of the Prairies, was the 
hero — where the brave lad rescued a maiden, single-handed, 
from a band of savages. The scene was laid in a wilder- 
ness, where all manner of fruit was opportunely abundant. 
There was nothing remarkable in all this — I had read of count- 
less exploits of a similar nature, before — but I was astonished 
to hear that the young hero, in looking around for something 
for his girl to eat, found some delicious ripe bananas, grow- 
i/ig on a vine! That disgusted me with that sort of literature. 
There are some big stories told of other fruits. An American 



128 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

traveler, in speaking of an East India fruit called the durion 
or durian, says that it is at once the most delightful and most 
disgusting of all fruits. He says the odor of a ripe durian is 
a hundred times worse than a whiff from a glue-factory or 
bone-yard, and yet so intensely luscious and rich that the ap- 
petite for it amounts almost to a frenzy. He gives it as a 
well established fact that the native women often sell thei^' 
children, in order to procure the fruit. There is undoubtedly 
such a fruit as the durian, but I hardly think its properties 
are so "agonizing" as one would gather from the above de- 
scription. In our own Florida, the guava plays a milder role, 
but is sometimes roughh' handled by those who are so unap- 
preciative of the good things of Nature, as not to like them. 
The following incident is said to have occurred at Orlando, 
in Orange county : 

A down-east Yankee mounted a '"kyart" belonging to a 
venerable Cracker who had brought some of his plantation 
products to town. Sniffing the air vigorously, the Yank 
looked around in the cart, and saw a box, covered with moss. 
"What have you in heer?" enquired the descendant of 
John Alden, bending his e3^ebrows in the direction of the 
Cracker, who answered, smilingly: "Gwavers." "Great 
horn;spoons !" gasped the Yank; "now, p'raps you'll tell 
me how long they've been dead ! " It is said that that Cracker 
has not yet quit laughing over the Yankee's ignorance. 

Verv few people like guavas at the first trial. The odor 
is powerful and penetrating, and is calculated to antagonize 
the senses, until a closer acquaintance is gained. The best 
variety I know of is the large, white pear-shaped kind, and I 
challenge anv one to show me any kind of Northern fruit that 
will eclipse this prince of luxuries. The pink, catley, straw- 
berry, and vinegar guavas grow finely throughout South Flor- 
ida. The finest specimens of this fruit I ever saw were grown 
at Point Pinellas, on Tampa Bay, in the grove of Vincent 
Leonardy. Guavas will grow, with a little protection, as far 
north as Palatka and Jacksonville, although it is seldom met 
with north of Putnam county. The fruit ripens from July to 
November. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 129 



The Agua Gate, or alligator pear, is not a pear at all ; it 
has one large seed in the centre, weighing two ounces, in a 
good specimen. I have seen agua cates (pronounced ah-guah 
cahta) weighing two pounds each. The flavor transcends 
that of the finest muskmelon. and the fruit is eaten with salt 
and pepper. It contains no acid, but its rich, marrowy, veg- 
etable-like pulp renders it a fine article of food. One full 
grown specimen is as much as any man can eat, and it more 
nearly takes the place of meat than any other fruit I know of. 
One fine feature of this tree is its power of resisting cold. 
Confident that it would succeed as far north as Palatka, (not- 
with standing the evil predictions of a few croakers who styled 
themselves judges of such matters) I introduced some of the 
trees in 1S82. Mr. Dorwin, Mr. Jackson and others procured 
young plants of me, and the present fine condition of the trees 
attests the favorable action of Palatka soil and climate. They 
can undoubtedlv be gi'own, successfully, in Putnam count}', 
although hardly in such perfection as farther South. The best 
specimens of this valuable tree I have seen, are growing on 
the property of John Roble, near Tampa. In August, 1880, 
I accompanied Professor A. H. Curtiss to this place. The 
trees, at that time, were thirty-five feet high, and about 15 
inches in diameter. Professor Curtiss pronounced it one of 
the most beautiful that he had ever seen. Such a tree would 
no doubt bear annual crops of fifteen hundred pounds of fruit, 
that would sell readily at eight cents a pound. In Tampa, I 
never saw them sell for a lower price than seventy-five cents 
a dozen. The agua cate begins to bear at the age of five 
years. A temperature of 20 degrees above zero is cold 
enough, but I think they will stand it for a short time. The 
fruit ripens from August till October. 

The mango is a fruit that has many friends, on account 
of its handsome appearance, and its novel flavor. It is pear- 
shaped, flattened and covered with russet-brown and green- 
ish-red splotches. The seed is very large and flat, the flesh 
adhering to it very firmly. Just the least odor of turpentine, 
in some of the specimens, detracts a little from the popularity 
of the fruit. The tree is exceedingly prolific, and the fruit 
bears shipping wclJ. Mangoes will stand a pretty sharp frost, 



i;>o s>ci:^i:s i^ svu" lu floiuda. 



but 1 wouUiu't advice any one to risk too much ot it. Thov 
begin boariug- whou throe yc:vr>i oKl. and are ot rapid i^rowth- 
Tho loug-. drooping branches, hidou with fruit, and the shin- 
invj- rod, willowv terminal leaves are quite handsome. The 
tVuit commenoos riponin^^ in July, and the crop is of short du- 
ration. 

The sappadillo is one ot my favorites. There are eight 
varietiesi of the fiiiit, and they are all gv^od : but the egg- 
shaped variety j$ the best. The Cubans say: '•^Bs fnita ^»M\' 
^ie/$\'aJ,t :" "The fniit is most delicious." On the Kevs 
they attain their greatest perfection. The Cubans ackno\vl- 
ovlgv the superiority of the Florida sappadillo over their own. 
The tree is small, haixlly ever exceeding four inches in di- 
ameter, aiid the leaves are very dark green. The pulp is verv 
sweet, and brvwvnish in color. Outside, the fruit resembles 
an Irish potato. Like the mangv. the sappadillo bears the 
tlurd Year after planting, anvi is very prolitic. They always 
cv^mniand good prices in the markets of Key West and 
Tampa. 1 am pretty sure they can endure a moderate frost 
without protection. The crop, which begins with Tuly, lasts 
well. 

Probably, the largest fruit in Florida is the sour-sop. or 
Auona muricata. called bv the Spaniards i^uaMiivanii. They 
are simply immense. Four pounds is the common weight. 
The seeds arc numerv>us. small and black, treating in a snowy, 
cusiani-like pulp, which has a tine flavor, unlike that of any 
other fruit. Ice-ci^am and ctx^ling drinks are made of them 
in Key West. The exterior of the fruit is of a greenish color, 
irregiilar in shape, and Cv^vered with soft prickles. The tree, 
which begins to bear at tive years of age. is a strong grower, 
and the leaves are small and lancev'>late. The fruit is rare in 
Key West, ai\d commands as high as sixtA- cents apiece some- 
times. In the latter p;irt of August the fruit begins to ripen, 
and is jealously guarvled. to prevent its getting injured or 
stolen. A man nanievi Sanders, iu Key West, was the owner 
of the largest tree in the city. To prevent the fruit from fall- 
ing and bruising itself during the night, he preparevi bags of 
cloth, placed them an^und the fruit, and . tied them to the 



SCENE8 IN SOU'JH FLOJ{IlJA. 131 



limbs. If the fruit took a notion to part from the parent stem 
• luriiij^ the nij^lit, the bag would hold it. Sour sops can not 
withstand frost; I am pretty sure of that. I think it is the 
most flelicate fruit grown in Florida, and rme of the most val- 
uable. 

'rh(; Jamaica apjjh;, ov clierinioyer, is not at all like a 
Northern apple; the seeds are half an inch long, and flat; the 
pulp is firm and white, with a rich, sub-acid flavor. This 
fruit is not plentiful in Florida; the tree is small, and by no 
means a prolific bearer. On the Keys is its home, where it 
ripens in August, and it bears in five years from the seed. 

The sugar-apple tree resembles the above, but the fruit 
is very different. It is exceedingly rich ; the pulp is like can- 
died honey, with a peculiar grainy texture. Like the papaw 
of the Middle States, and other members of the Anona family, 
the seeds are smooth, round and black, and the outside skin 
is olive-green, with a knott}'^ surface ; the aroma is fine in the 
extreme. It can endure a moderate degree of cold, but does 
not l)ear transportation. It commences to bear in three years, 
and ripens its fruit in August. 

The mammae tree is very rare in Florida ; the only speci- 
mens I know of, in the State, are growing on Mrs. Gilbert's 
place at Miami. Professor Curtiss, (considered the most 
prominent botanist in the South) passed Miami with me, in 
the year iSSo, and we saw these trees. They were, at that 
time, at least thirty feet high, with a spreading summit. The 
leaves were a most vivid green, and interspersed with snow-white 
flowers, fully two inches across. Magnificent is a tame word 
to use in connection with these trees. Two of them stood 
near together, one loaded with fruit and the other with 
i 'looms. The tree is dioecious; that is, it requires two trees to 
produce fruit. I think these are the only specimens of the mam- 
mee in the State. The fruit is as large as a canteloupe melon, 
with adark, brownish skin. Inside it is yellow, with'a soft, yield- 
ing pulp, when fully ripe. If I were asked to describe the 
flavor of this fruit, I would have to answer: "It tastes like a 
mammee, more than anything else." It ripens in June, and 
continues about two montlis. 



IS2 8CKNES IN 801 Til FLOIUDA. 



Tho W ost India papaw {^Citrii\t J*(t/>a\'a) is not a very 
doHoious fruit ; it is as largo as a man's head, and is raui^od 
arouiul tho trunk ot tho troo. whoro tho orowii of loavos put 
forth. In two »>r throo yoars. vou niav oxpoot fruit, if tho troo 
lias boon phuitod in soil sutrioiontly rich and moist, Tapaws 
aro most plontiful on tho coast, whoro tho frost protootiou is 
fairly good. Thov will not stand a hoavy frost. 

1 havo soon a fruit in Kov Wost. tho namo of which I will 
write roo-Kss. It is vorv rare, and the fow treos in Koy 
Wost aro valued highly. It looks somewhat like a largo, yellow 
plum, but tho flavor is something ontirelv now. The Tee-Ess 
is vmdoubtedly tho costliest fruit, to its size, in tho State, and 
is very sensitive to cold. The fruit, which ripens in late Au- 
gust, is produced when the tree is the vears old. 

Tamarind trees are plentiful on tho Kovs. A most de- 
licious summer drink is made fu^m the pods, which aro filled 
with an acid pidp, of a jelly-like consistency. Handsome in- 
deed are the long, drooping boughs and briglit green bi-pin- 
nate leaves, and the tree resembles, in some respects, tho 
honey-locust, without the thorns. Ir boars oarlv. and is not 
injured by a moderate frost. 

The date-palms of St. Augustine bear heavy crops each 
year. Some of thoni are over thirty feet high, and must be 
fully a hundred years old. The date is diivcious. and the frwit. 
which is hard, and of a reddish color, is not of much value, as 
no one seems to understand the art of curing it. This 
secret must be learned, before dates become a source of rev- 
enue to the State. 

The India rubber, safltrcn-pluni. mastic fruit, eocoa-pluui, 
{CJo},t(loh>hHS itfito) ai-d custard-spple have been men- 
tioned in my Indiati "War KtminifCtnces. Bananas, pineap- 
ples, and the Citrus fruits have not been touched upon, as they 
are too well krcwn to med any deseripticn. Ofcciu>o, I 
could not enter into detail in rogaid lo the cultivation of the 
oits doitriltd "n this chapter: anything like a satisfactory 
synopsis of that kind would make a book of itself. Much in- 
formation and pleasure could be gained from a thorough lour 
t hrcugh Florida. Our t^atwoods ar.d scrubs are teeming with 
tropical plant-life, and our hammocks abound in fruits and flow- 
ers, some of which have never found their wav into anv botanv. 



SCENKS IN SOl'lH \'L<)]i\l),\. \?,?, 



IN will* II IMK /NKVn AI'.f.K IINAt.K AND IJISCI.A r MKIf A I'l' Ji Alt S. 

— soi;'i/f ii.o:iii>A IS visuicatku, ani> ihk ri-:.v i.>j 

LAID ASIDK. 

SiiKM; tliul auspicious and eventful morning of J'alm Sun- 
day, A. D. 1512, when J'once de I^eon lifted the veil of ob- 
scurity from a lanrl Hvi (/fmriris and unrivalled in the gifts which 
partial Nature had bestowed upon it, Florida has smiled 
through a mist of romance which has not Ijeen dispelled by 
th(; advanct! f>f thr(;e and three-quarter centuries, 'J"he wild, 
ambitious dieams of the Spaniarrls who sought th e precious 
metals in our hammocks find their counterpart in the eager 
anticipations of those who come here to plant orange groves, 
foiully believing that a speedy fortune awaits them, in the 
"field of the fruit of gold." The difference is, that the latter 
dream is capable of realization. 

The title of these sk(;tches does not seek to draw an in- 
vidious distinction between North and South Florida. It so 
happened that the greater portion of my life as a guide, sol- 
dier and pilot has been passed in the extreme southern por- 
tion of the State, and as it did not behoove me to enter into 
details, in any portion of the book, in regard to the advantages 
or disadvantages of any particular section of Florida, I can 
<lisclaim any intention oi writing an immigration pamphlet, 
or an advertisement of real estate. The old settlers of Flor- 
ida here read an account of scenes with which they are fa- 
miliar; the stranger is introduced to a region of which he has 
heard a great deal, and every reader may know that the de- 



134 SCENES IN SOUTH FLOKIDA. 

scriptions are capable of corroboration, for they are all true. 
The book will not tell the reader how many orange trees can 
be planted on an acre, nor how many thousand boxes of 
oranges those trees will yield in five years, and does not even 
give a hint as to the best place in the State for growing them. 
Not a line will be found, in reference to any real estate, for I 
have not a foot of land for sale. And I don't think I have 
made the impression that I was trying to persuade anybod}' to 
come here. I reason this way : If you have made up your 
mind to come here, why, you are co??2ing^ and nobody need 
try to dissuade you. On the other hand, of course, if you 
didn't want to come, you wouldn't thank anybody for insisting 
on your doing so. But I hope I haven't scared you away, by 
any of my descriptions. The stiugarees of Indian river, and 
the 'gators of Okeechobee are still "alive and kicking," but I 
never hear of their hurting an3'body, nowadays. jSIosquitoes 
and mosquito stories are plentiful as ever; the lordly Seminole 
still scours the hammocks of Walk-in-the-Water, in search of 
deer and bear, and loves "wyomi" and red handkerchiefs as 
passionately as ever. 

The enthusiast who wants to come here, should remem- 
ber that he can't find everything just to his notion; he must 
not lose his religion if he is bitten by a few mosquitoes and 
sand-flies while walking beneath blossoming orange trees with 
the girl of his choice, and if he wants to recline at length on 
the grass in the shade, he must not be surprised if the sand- 
spurs pin his clothes to his skin. The botanist who pene- 
trates into the rich, semi-tropical hammocks in search of 
flowers, should not grumble if he returns laden with red-bugs 
and other interesting little creatures who lie in wait in the 
shady woods, and whose name is more than legion. 

In coming to Florida, one should leave kid gloves, and 
great expectations behind. And, whilt many people and 
man}- papers are saying that this is the poor man's terrestrial 
paradise, I would advise the comer to bring a little money 
along with him, "just for convenience's sake, you know," 
such little items come in pretty handy sometimes. As a gen- 
eral rule, a double-barreled shot gun will kill all the game you 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 135 



will find, without resorting to a breach-loader, and the fisher- 
men here, are a modest sort of men. You hardly ever hear 
of the capture of a very big fish, but what they lack in size is 
made up in quantity. Hunting gophers inland and pegging 
turtles on the coast is by no means on the wane, and although 
these sober occupations are not resorted to by those who thirst 
after the gore of big game, they are sometimes participated in 
by some of as dignified and respectable personages as you 
ever saw. 

The day is past, when you could take up a homestead, 
half hammock and the other half a wild orange grove, and 
when the deer obligingly browsed within a few feet of your 
door, as if anxious to supply you with venison. Once in a 
while, however, a man is seen, who wants and expects all 
these things, and a great many more. One of these peculiar 
specimens of the human race lived (or rather stayed) at 
Tampa Bay, in the year 1858. His name was Hunter, and I 
think he hailed from Georgia. That man was the verv em- 
bodiment of dissatisfaction and xmrest. According to his own 
statement, he had looked in vain, all over his native State, for 
a suitable place for a "buildin' locayshin," and came to Flor- 
ida, to see if he could do any better. When I met him, he 
was dressed in a rather seedy looking suit of clothes, but there 
was a grin of hope on his faded features, which told that he 
expected to attain his object, sooner or later. 

"What kind of a place do you expect to find, Mr. Hunter?" 
I asked him, one day, as he came sauntering along the street 
one day. He answered, with a nasal drawl: 

"Well, I'm a-huntin' of a homestead what has got a piece 
of hammick lend" (land) "for raisin' gyarden-truck, and a 
high pine ridge 'jinin' onto it, fur a buildin' locayshin, with 
a na-tral spring, and a fust-rate mill-site throwed in. I've 
bin a-huntin' of jist sich a place as that, fur five or six year, 
and I 'spect to git it, after awhile." 

With that soft, stereotyped whistle, and that easy, sham- 
bling step, he vanished from my sight. Sometimes he put 



]«(; SC'KNKS IN SOI I'll Kl.OlilDA. 

;i couple of p'u'ccs of li:iiul-l;uk in lii> p;)L-kL"t, ami sallioil forth 
in (pu'st of the woiuk-rful coiiil)ination-lu)im\sto;ul, and ho 
woahl 1.0 t^-ono for ihroo or four days. His "widow and or- 
phans," which ho was in the hahit of calling;- his wife and 
children, (witli more propriety, perhaps, than he was aware 
of) had to scratch around protlv li\el\ for a liviui;', while he 
was hunting- for the "natral spriuy; and mill-silo," and they 
had perha|)s lon^ a^i) j^ixon up nil hope of his success. 
Tlu' last 1 hoard oi the Hunter faniiK' was a letter from I\[rs. 
Hunter, written to a frienil in rami>a, saying that she would 
rather he in Floi'ida with a |)ono of corn broad, than to li\e in 
any othoi' Slate with all manui>r of tlolicaoios imaginahle. 

'I'he moral o\ the ahove incident is, (^f course, that you 
sli )uldn't ai'o to Florida, unless vc)u oomo prepared to take 
it as it comes. Hunter's restless dispositii>n wouhl niU allow 
hnn to si'ttlo anvwhero. It reminds mo of a yarn I hearil 
of a i;'randiloquont Yankee, w ho used some pretty bi«;- wi>rds 
where they were not noedctl. ^V Cracker standing- near by, 
>vhose mouth had gradually expanded as he took in the ripple 
of elegant bvUglish, exclaimed with a. hurst of nati\o sarcasm: 
"Stranger, if I had the eddilication you'ye got, I wouldn't 
stay hero, nor nowhere idsol" 

'I'he "short and simple annals" of the piont'ors of South 
Florida might till many a \olnmo larg.'r than this one, and 
might ho made to embrace many thrilling scenes au.l adven- 
tures, which as vet lie ilormanl and unknown to all ex- 
cept those who ligured in them. Aline has boon the fortune 
til speak to a larger audienoe, and should my desire for the 
entertainment of my roailers be fultilled, I shall be eneouragotl 
to gue other sketches of life in the far South, in another 
edition. 

With this. 1 take leaye of you, commending my little 
bov>k to your kiiulest consitleratiiin. 



